President Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) had two grizzly bear cubs, one male and one female, which were given to him by American explorer Capt. Zebulon Pike.
Thomas Jefferson received a pair of grizzly bears as a gift from Captain Zebulon Pike in 1807.
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.
Top prize for the oddest (and perhaps most dangerous) First Pet went to John Quincy Adams, who is said to have kept an alligator in the East Room. So much for the calming embrace of animal affection after a tough presidential day.
James Buchanan, the 15th president, received a herd of elephants from the King of Siam (now called Thailand). 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.
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 Samuel Firestone in 1927.
President Dwight Eisenhower greets Dzimbo, a 440-pound baby elephant, 1959. President Dwight Eisenhower greets Dzimbo, a 440-pound baby elephant, a gift from the French territories in west-central Africa in 1959. Dzimbo made his permanent home at the National Zoo.
President Theodore Roosevelt and family were prolific pet owners and animal lovers.
A Zamorano-Leonés donkey, the same breed as Royal Gift. Royal Gift was the name George Washington chose for the Spanish jack that King Charles III of Spain gave to him in November 1784. The prized animal arrived at Mount Vernon one year later.
Theodore Roosevelt (26th President, 1901-1913) and his family also loved animals and had plenty of them at the White House, including a zebra, a parrot, bears, a lion, a hyena, a coyote, rats, and a one-legged rooster.
In November 1902, Collier guided President Roosevelt on a hunting trip in Mississippi. As the story goes, when Collier cornered and stunned a Louisiana black bear for the president's benefit, Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear.
Zachary Taylor, a well-known war hero, arrived in Washington, D.C. to be President of the United States in 1849 after serving for many years in the military.
And this week we can't wait to tell the tale about Grizzly Bear 399 — perhaps the most famous bear in the world. For more than a decade, Griz 399 has been living her best bear life in the front country of Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park.
Roosevelt's assistants, led by Holt Collier, a born slave and former Confederate cavalryman, cornered and tied a black bear to a willow tree. They summoned Roosevelt and suggested that he shoot it. Viewing this as extremely unsportsmanlike, Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear.
The family of John F. Kennedy brought pet hamsters Debbie and Billie; a gray cat, Tom Kitten; and a canary, Robin, to the White House.
He also kept two opossums as pets during his presidency. Nothing screams American pride like owning a Bald Eagle, which President James Buchanan had as a pet.
Presidential Pets (1921-1945) Navy Secretary Denby makes friends with Pete the squirrel on the White House lawn on October 10, 1922 during President Warren Harding's Administration.
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).
president, Benjamin Harrison served our nation from 1889 to 1893. It was widely known that President Harrison had a fondness for animals, including the marsupial of choice…the opossum. While in office, President Harrison was known for having two pet opossums in the White House.
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.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. The Ford's acquired Liberty, a Golden Retriever, as a puppy in the fall of 1974.
President Theodore Roosevelt was noted for his love of animals, and he passed this gift on to his children, all of whom had several pets during their own lifetimes. Some of those pets were a bit non-traditional and even caused a stir on occasion.
Rebecca was a raccoon kept as a pet by US president Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge. Washington D.C. Rebecca came from Mississippi. She had been sent to the White House to be served for the 1926 Thanksgiving dinner.
Billie and Debbie were Syrian hamsters who were United States presidential pets in the care of Caroline Kennedy during the presidency of her father John F. Kennedy. They joined the First Family at the White House in January 1961.