PARTY ANIMALS Some of the more unusual U.S. presidential pets have been gifts from other world leaders. James Buchanan, the 15th president, received a herd of elephants from the King of Siam (now called Thailand).
This photo was taken in 1902. Our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt, began his Presidency in 1901, along with six children and more animals than the White House had ever seen. The Roosevelt children's family of pets included a small bear named Jonathan Edwards; a lizard named Bill; guinea pigs named Admiral Dewey, Dr.
Presidential Pets (1860-1921) President Benjamin Harrison (1889-93) gave his grandchildren a pet goat named His Whiskers. One day, while pulling the president's grandchildren around in a cart, His Whiskers took off through the White House gates.
One special animal in the Lincoln White House was Jack the turkey. Jack originally was on the Lincoln's dinner menu, but Tad became fond of the bird and pleaded with his father to spare Jack's life. President Lincoln relented, and Jack became part of the Presidential household.
Billy, or William Johnson Hippopotamus, (Before 1927 – October 11, 1955) was a pygmy hippopotamus given to U.S. President Calvin Coolidge. Captured in Liberia, he was given to Coolidge by Harvey S. Firestone in 1927.
That list of "pets" is just the tip of the iceberg! President Calvin Coolidge owned two raccoons, a donkey, a bobcat, lion cubs, a Pygmy hippopotamus, a wallaby, a duiker (antelope, a black bear, and 13 Pekin ducks.
The Sultan of Oman gave Martin Van Buren, the eighth president, a pair of tiger cubs. Modern presidents know better than to have wild animals as pets.
Presidential Pets (1860-1921) President William Howard Taft's cow, Pauline, poses in front of the Navy Building, which is known today as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Pauline was the last cow to live at the White House and provided milk for President Taft (1909-13).
In the years Hoover was U. S. Food Administrator (1917-19) he wrote a friend and described his family this way: “We have in our family 2 small boys, 1 dog, 2 cats, 11 goldfish, 1 canary, 3 frogs, 14 chickens, 2 turtles, 1 rabbit.”
Our fifth president was known to have two pets: a Siberian husky named Sebastian, and a spaniel named Buddy. Both dogs are known to make great companions, and Buddy was a close friend to Monroe's daughter Maria.
George and Barbara Bush's dog Millie, may have been the most famous presidential dog. Millie was an English Springer Spaniel that even had her own memoir. The book, Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush reached the New York Times Best Seller list in 1992.
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, owned a pair of Grizzly Bear cubs. Captain Zebulon Pike, while exploring the West, purchased these cubs as a birthday present for President Jefferson.
Among the Roosevelt family's many pets were a handful of guinea pigs. Theodore noted: "their highly unemotional nature fits them for companionship with adoring but over-enthusiastic young masters and mistresses."
Theodore Roosevelt's Lion - Presidential Pet Museum.
Theodore Roosevelt's pet one-legged rooster .
President Reagan and Nancy Reagan with their new dog "Rex", a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. 12/06/1985. Rex came to the White House on December 6, 1985, as a Christmas present from Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan. Prior to this, Rex belonged to commentator William F.
Barack Obama welcomed two Portuguese Water Dogs, Bo and Sunny, into his family after his inauguration.
Martin Van Buren (8th President, 1837-1841) received a pair of tiger cubs as a gift from the Sultan of Oman. President Van Buren wanted to keep the cubs, but Congress insisted they belonged to the people. Eventually the president donated the tigers to the zoo.
Blackberry was an aptly named black Chow Chow who belonged to President Coolidge and his family. The Coolidges acquired Blackberry on their 1927 trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota, where their summer home was and where they often campaigned.
Roosevelt had eight dogs while serving in the White House! His Scottish Terrier, Fala, was by far the most famous. He even grew so popular among Americans that he had his own secretary to sort his fan mail!
He remains the only President to be elected from Pennsylvania and to remain a lifelong bachelor. Tall, stately, stiffly formal in the high stock he wore around his jowls, James Buchanan was the only President who never married.
Fun Fact: Sheep on the White House lawn? A flock of sheep grazed during Woodrow Wilson's term. Their wool was sold to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I.
Barney Bush (birth name Bernard Bush; September 30, 2000 – February 1, 2013) was a Scottish Terrier owned by former U.S. President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush.
Fido (c. 1851 – 1865) was a yellow mixed-breed dog owned by Abraham Lincoln and kept by the family for a number of years prior to Lincoln's presidency, and became a presidential pet during Lincoln's presidency, although he remained in Springfield, Illinois.