Tuesday, August 30, 2011

CATS in the WHITE HOUSE



President Abraham Lincoln 16th President (1861-1865)
Abe Lincoln
Abe Lincoln was the first President to bring a cat into the White House: When son Tad asked to bring his cat Tabby, Lincoln agreed. Later, on a visit to General Grant's headquarters in the middle of winter, Lincoln found three half-frozen kittens there and took them back to the White House.

President Rutherford B. Hayes19th President (1877-1881)
Rutherford B HayesA gift from the American Consul in Bangkok, Siam was the first Siamese cat to reach the United States.  Also had a cat named Piccolomini and a Siamese named Miss Pussy.


President Theodore Roosevelt26th President (1901-1909)
Theodore Roosevelt
His gray, six-toed cat Slippers would fall asleep in a hallway, resulting in the guests at a state banquet detouring around her. The Roosevelts also had a cat named Tom Quartz. Tom Quartz was named after the cat in Roughing It by Mark Twain. [They also had 9 dogs, a garter snake, a pony, pig, badger, rat, guinea pigs, hen, macaw, rooser, and a pony.]
President Calvin Coolidge29th President (1923-1929)Calvin Coolidge  Calvin and Grace Coolidge pretty much had a zoo at the White House. Their cats were Smokey, Blackie, Timmy and Tiger. Timmy allowed Coolidge's canary to sleep between his paws. Tiger, a gray-striped stray, traveled around the White House around the President's neck. When Tiger went missing, Coolidge appealed to the people by calling for their help on a radio address.


Woodrow Wilson28th President (1913-1921)
Woodrow Wilson
President Wilson had a cat named Puffins.
President John F. Kennedy  35th President (1961-1963)
John F. Kennedy

Daughter Caroline Kennedy's Tom Kitten was removed from office when it was discovered that President Kennedy was allergic.  When Tom Kitten died, it was given an obituary in a Washington newspaper.


President Gerald Ford138th President (1974-1977)
Gerald FordDaughter Susan had a beautiful Siamese named Shan.
President Jimmy Carter39th President (1977-1981)  Jimmy CarterDaughter Amy Carter owned a Siamese cat with the intriguing name "Misty Malarky Ying Yang" who lived with her in the White House.


President Bill Clinton42nd President (1993-2001)Bill Clinton
Socks moved to the White House with the Clintons in 1993, and was the first cat to live in the White House since Amy Carter's cat.
President George W. Bush 43rd President (2001-2009)George W. Bush
India "Willie" Bush, a beautiful black cat, had been a beloved member of the Bush family for several years when the family moved into the White House.