Calvin and Grace Coolidge had many pets throughout their lifetimes, but not all of them were suited for life in Washington, D.C.

When President Warren G. Harding died of a heart attack in the summer of 1923, Vice President Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as president on August 3, 1923. The Coolidge family’s move into the White House happened quickly.

As any family would, they moved with the pets they had. For those that were not suited to life in the presidential residence, the Coolidges found other homes.

The American public soon learned that the Coolidges were “pet people,” and from 1923-1929, various animals were presented, delivered, and dropped off to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

As for Coolidge’s term in office—the public welcomed him as a breath of fresh air. Warren Harding’s administration was plagued by scandal (the Teapot Dome Scandal among them).

Coolidge brought in a sense of propriety. He was a quiet man, and he oversaw a time of rapid and expansive economic growth (the “Roaring Twenties”). He also signed into law the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans.

The Early White House Dogs

Peter Pan, a terrier, came with the Coolidges to the White House. He did not like the hustle and bustle of Washington life, so the Coolidges found a quieter home for him.

Paul Pry, an Airedale, was the next dog to arrive, and he was fiercely loyal to the Coolidges. He was so protective that he would not permit the housekeepers to enter a room where the President was. This clearly didn’t work.

The animals that had staying power were two white collies named Prudence Prim and Rob Roy. Both were acquired during the presidency and were frequently photographed with the President or First Lady.

The White Collies

Prudence Prim was acquired first from Shomont White Collies, a kennel in Monticello, Iowa. About a year later, the Coolidges wanted another dog from the same breeder. This time, they obtained a male collie who had been working on a farm in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Known as Oshkosh to the farmer, the dog helped herd the cows as needed.

When the collie arrived at the White House, Grace Coolidge gave him a new name: Rob Roy, inspired by the popular cocktail. Since the the Prohibition era continued, this was perhaps a playful nod to the times. Rob Roy quickly adjusted to his new life and became a favorite of President Coolidge.

Many of the photos of the Coolidges show them with a white collie. Research accompanying the photos most often specify Rob Roy as the dog pictured. But perhaps Prudence Prim was sometimes the white collie in question. She was said to be constantly by Grace Coolidge’s side.

Still More Dogs

After the white collies were in place, the Cooldiges acquired Beans, a Boston bulldog. Beans had the temperament of a top dog, and this caused friction with Rob Roy who felt that he was in charge. The Coolidges soon sent Beans to Mrs. Coolidge’s mother who lived in Northampton, Massachusetts.

A chow whom Grace Coolidge called Tiny Tim moved in for a time, but the President found him to be more aptly titled “Terrible Tim.” He too was given to a good home.

King Cole, an all-black Belgian Groenendael, was a gift to the Coolidges. However, King Cole was skittish around new people. A schoolteacher in Kentucky was chosen to be the new owner of the Belgian sheepdog.

A Trip to the Black Hills with Pets

In 1927, when the Coolidge family planned a summer journey to the Black Hills, both Rob Roy and Prudence Prim were chosen to go along. During the trip, the family acquired yet another dog—this one was an all-black chow they named Blackberry. When they arrived in Washington, they presented Blackberry to the woman their son John planned to marry.

Sadly, Prudence Prim became ill during the trip and died. The press wrote of Mrs. Coolidge’s sadness.

One family responded by sending their white collie to the Coolidges. They somehow arranged for the dog to travel on an airplane (this was 1927). Air transport for pets must have been even worse then than it is today. The dog—named Calamity Jane—and later called Diana, was covered in grease. According to The New York Times (8-28-1927), early photos of the dog revealed a spotted collie. When the grease was washed out of her coat, she was indeed a white collie.

Rebecca the Raccoon

In 1926, a live raccoon—later named Rebecca—was sent to the White House from Nitta Yuma, Mississippi. The sender hoped it would be served for Thanksgiving dinner at the White House.

Before the animal could be taken to the kitchen, Grace Coolidge stepped in. She felt the raccoon was docile and seemed affectionate. Though Rebecca often had the run of the White House, they also created an outdoor pen around a tree for her. Reuben, another raccoon was acquired as a companion, but he soon escaped.

This loss of Reuben did not dampen their commitment to Rebecca. The President was said to sometimes walk with Rebecca around his neck. Grace Coolidge was frequently photographed with Rebecca in her arms. (Rebecca was less popular with the staff. She sometimes used her long claws to shred furniture and even ladies’ stockings.)

When plans were made for the family to visit the Black Hills, Rebecca was included along with Roy Roy and Prudence Prim.

When they returned, Rebecca seemed restless and left the White House grounds a time or two. The family eventually decided she needed to be placed at the zoo.

Cats That Came and Went

Felines came and went in the White House. Then, as now, it’s not easy to keep track of a cat’s whereabouts. The two cats who began in the White House, Tige and Blacky, were not “keepers.” Tige liked to wander and when he was eventually found, he had gone as far as the Lincoln Memorial.

The President decided Tige should wear a collar with a brass label engraved with “White House” on it. However, this may have just been an attraction for someone. The next time Tige disappeared, he never came back.

Blacky lasted for a couple of years but was prone to hunting and bringing home his catch. That soon became tiresome for Grace Coolidge and White House staff.

Birds Came, Too

During the early part of the twentieth century, birds were common household pets. Wealthy families kept their birds in elaborate cages, and everything from canaries to parrots and more exotic pets were treasured.

The Coolidge family had at least two canaries at the White House. There may also have been a mockingbird and a blue and yellow bird that was brought to  them from South Africa. This bird was also a favorite of the First Lady.

Other Animals

In addition, the Coolidges received a wallaby, a bobcat (“Smoky Bob”), a black bear, a donkey, a duiker (small antelope) and two lion cubs (named Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau). The President hoped the cubs could be kept at the White House for a time. However, when they arrived, they were half-grown. He quickly saw they belonged at the zoo.

Billy, the Pygmy Hippo

Billy the pygmy hippo was a gift from Harvey Firestone in 1927. Firestone had a rubber plantation in Liberia. When he came upon a pygmy hippo, he thought it would be a perfect gift for Coolidge.

Pygmy hippos are actually not so “pygymy.” Billy was 6 feet long and weighed about 600 pounds. There were only eight other pygmy hippos in the country at the time, so the zoo was delighted. Not only was Billy famous as an exotic presidential pet, he proved to be a wonderful mate for Hannah, a hippo acquired for Billy. Together they had fifteen calves. Billy fathered a few more with another mate at the zoo. 

Make Room for Ducklings

During his presidency, Coolidge received 13 Pekin ducks (a type of domestic duck from Long Island). The Coolidges loved all sorts of animals and thought they might have some luck at raising the ducks.

They dedicated one of the White House bathrooms to the ducks so they could paddle in the tub and still be easily fed. However, they soon became too large and were sent off to the zoo.

Calvin and Grace Coolidge loved walking through the National Zoo, so they often visited their former pets as well as all the other animals.

The other presidential household that provided homes for many pets was Teddy Roosevelt’s. Click here for the story.

In the 1850s, the Lincoln family acquired a yellow mixed-breed dog they named Fido. Fido often accompanied Lincoln to his Springfield law office or around town on errands. Fido also loved being with the Lincoln boys, Willy and Tad, and he was known to most people in Springfield.

Fido’s Story

In the mid-19^th century, few families could afford pets, but dogs were plentiful in most communities. The strays scavenged for food around local eateries and found barns where they could sleep. These dogs were generally called “tramps.” (This may explain the Disney title, “Lady and the Tramp.”) Only a lucky few of the dogs found themselves with a home to live in and a family to love. Fido was one of them. 

Lincoln had not had an easy childhood, and his hardscrabble background gave him a soft spot for children and for animals. He rarely disciplined his sons, and of course, if a cat or a dog found their way to the Lincoln household, they were not turned away. (His wife Mary did not feel the same way. Springfield streets could be very muddy, and Mary did not like all the dirt tracked in by the children, and later, the dog.)

Robert Lincoln was away during much of this time. He was older than his brothers (born in 1843). In 1859, he was sent to boarding school, Phillips Exeter Academy.

The Lincolns Adopt Fido

Rough-coated yellow dogs like Fido were common at that time. (Lincoln had owned another “yaller dog” named Honey when younger.)

Fido must have arrived in the household by 1855 as historians can produce an invoice for vermifuge, a “de-wormer,” from the Springfield drugstore. Whether the family found him, or whether he chose them, is a story we do not know but certainly by the mid-1850s, the Lincolns had Fido living with them.

While today the name “Fido” is so common that it’s used generically to refer to canine “pets.” Fido is from the Latin “fedelitas” for faithful, so naming the dog Fido was likely very high praise for the dog.

At the time, the most popular name for dogs was Carlo, according to Matthew Algeo, author of the  book, Abe & Fido. The name “Carlo” was popular among the well-read, as it was the name of the faithful pointer in Jane Eyre.

Family Dog

Fido was very much a “house dog.” The streets of Springfield were often muddy, so between Willy and Tad and Fido, the house must have been difficult to keep clean. Over Mary’s protests, Fido sometimes climbed into bed with one of the boys. He amused the family by chasing his tail in the drawing room. At dinner, Abe and the boys were happy to pass him scraps from the table. 

Before Lincoln became president, Fido’s days were generally spent out with one family member or another. If Lincoln was doing errands, Fido went along with him and was sometimes given the responsibility of carrying Lincoln’s purchase. Fido was also well known at the barbershop. Billy the Barber was an institution in Springfield, and since Abe went in regularly for shaves (he was clean-shaven until late 1860), Fido often went, too.

When Lincoln went to his law office, Fido could have accompanied him, but chances were good that he went to find Willy and Tad instead. He could wait for them at school, or Willy and Tad were often out and about with friend. Fido liked joining them.

Like other dogs of the same time period, there was no particular effort at training Fido. He came and went as he pleased, and because Lincoln tended to indulge both his children and their pets, no one ever broke Fido of his habit of jumping up on people to cheerfully lick hello. With the muddy streets of Springfield, Fido did sometimes annoy.   

Presidential Campaign

During the mid-19^th century, it was considered unseemly for presidential candidates to campaign. Instead, party representatives traveled on a candidate’s behalf, and as many people as possible were asked to write letters in support of one candidate or another. 

In 1860, Lincoln faced a four-way election: Stephen Douglas represented the Northern Democrats, John C. Breckinridge ran on the Southern Democratic ticket, and John Bell represented the Constitutional Unionists.

The election was unlike any other. Lincoln knew that the country was at stake. Lots of planning was taking place with advisors and campaign managers traveling to Springfield to meet with Abraham Lincoln. Most meetings were at Lincoln’s law offices, but Lincoln sometimes brought men home to continue their talks.

Fido was restless and anxious from all the activity around his master, but there wasn’t much Lincoln could do about it.

When the election results were announced in November (still months from when the family would depart for D.C. in March), Springfield erupted in excitement. Cannons were fired, fireworks set off, and bands played. The town was filled with a cacophony of sounds, all of which sent Fido to hide behind the drawing room couch or upstairs under the boys’ bed.

What To Do With Fido

In observing how upsetting all the noises were for Fido, the future president had to consider what the family faced in Washington. He knew the capital was louder than Springfield, and he couldn’t imagine Fido feeling comfortable traveling by train with the family.

With difficulty, he discussed with Willy and Tad that there was just no way for Fido to come along. With protests from the kids and tears from them all, Lincoln got the boys to focus on where Fido could stay until the Lincolns returned to Springfield.

After considering various possibilities, the Lincolns all felt that The Roll family would be the right place for Fido.

John Roll was one of Lincoln’s oldest friends. Roll was just 16 when Lincoln, age 20, hired him to help build a flatboat that Lincoln planned to use to haul goods down the Mississippi. Since that time, John Roll became a contractor in town, and he and his wife had boys about the same age as Willy and Tad.  The Rolls family also lived near the Lincoln home on 8th Street, so the boys all played together. Fido was often with them and always greeted the Rolls boys with big licks on face and hands.

Roll Family Agrees

When Abe pitched the idea to John Roll, he had several requests concerning Fido:

-They were never to tie him up in the backyard by himself.

He was a house dog, so he should be allowed inside when he scratched at the door.

-He was not to be scolded for having muddy paws.

-He should be permitted to join the Roll family at dinner. Fido was accustomed to being fed by everyone at the table.

Lincoln also had one other thought. Would the family like their couch that was specially made for Abe? It was green horsehair—7 feet long to accommodate the president’s height. Fido loved being on or near the couch, too.

John Roll and his family were honored to help, and they agreed to all the points that were specified by the Lincoln family. Also included in the plans were the fact that when the Lincolns returned to Springfield, Fido would come back to live with them. 

The Family in Washington

In March of 1861, the Lincoln family made the move to Washington, D.C. to live in the executive mansion. Despite the war, Willy’s and Tad’s lives proceeded the way the lives of most young boys do with school and playtime.

Pets continued to be welcomed by Abe Lincoln and his sons. The boys had ponies, white rabbits, and two goats that kept them endlessly amused. Willy and Tad liked hitching Nanny and Nanko to a cart—or even a kitchen chair—to be pulled around. 

The goats, however, were not always popular with the White House staff as they tended to chew up things they weren’t supposed to.

Tad became very attached to a turkey that was being raised for Christmas dinner.  At Tad’s behest, Lincoln had little choice but to spare the turkey. The turkey lived on with the Lincolns as a pet, and Tad gave him full run of the mansion.  (Lincoln’s own childhood was filled with fear and disappointment, so he chose to raise his boys with much more leniency.)

There is also mention of a dog at the Executive Mansion. A visitor recalls a “very beautiful little dog” who could stand up on his back feet quite comfortably. The person referred to the dog as “Jip” or “Gyp.”

Lincoln Loved Cats

Another visitor talked of a chair pulled up to the dining table by the president. A cat sat by the president enjoying a meal with the family.  Perhaps Mary Lincoln was away at that time?

Lincoln himself was particularly fond of cats. According to the staff at Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace, if Mary Lincoln was asked about whether her husband had a hobby, she was very likely to answer “cats.”

In March of 1865 as the Civil War was coming to a close. All the requirements of rebuilding the country were being presented to the president. He frequently sat at the telegraph office in Washington so he could send and receive messages easily.

While there one day, Lincoln became distracted by three stray kittens.  When he was informed that the kittens’ mother had died, he sat with them on his lap for a few minutes and then before he left, he made certain someone there committed to taking care of them.

News from Springfield

The Lincoln family did not have opportunities to return to Springfield. Travel at that time was arduous, and with the ongoing war, President Lincoln remained in Washington except when the war called him elsewhere. However, the family received reports from townspeople.

One of the best correspondents reporting to the Lincoln was Billy the barber. Billy, of course, knew all about what was going on in town, and he often reported a bit about Fido. At the end of a newsy report about the town, Billy added:  “Tell Taddy that his (and Willy’s) Dog is alive and Kicking, doing well, he stays mostly at John E. Roll’s with his Boys who are about the size now that Tad and Willy were when they left for Washington.”

Lincoln’s Funeral

Fido was still living with the Rolls family when Lincoln was assassinated.  When the funeral was held, mourners stopped in at the Lincoln family home in Springfield to pay their respects. The Roll family brought Fido to say good-bye to his master, too.

In 1853, Abe Lincoln bought a horse that he called Old Bob. When the family departed for Washington, Lincoln sold Bob to an Irish drayman. Old Bob pulled one of the fellow’s delivery wagons. 

When the body of the president arrived in Springfield to be buried, the deliveryman provided Old Bob for the funeral procession, Old Bob wore a mourning blanket with silver fringe, and he walked immediately after the hearse carrying the President’s body.

Fido Meets His End

During the year following Lincoln’s death, Fido continued to live with the Roll family. One day he didn’t come home. The family looked for him for several days before one of the boys heard that he might be over in the community churchyard. When they arrived there, they found Fido curled up and motionless. He had a knife wound. He must have crawled to a spot where he could find shelter to die.

Later the story was pieced together by community members. Like other towns, Springfield had its share of drunks. One of them was sitting on a curb downtown when Fido must have greeted him, perhaps with the muddy paws that he was well-known for. The fellow pulled a knife and stabbed him. Because Fido got away, no one realized a serious wound had been inflicted until the family reported that Fido hadn’t come home.

It was too late to save Fido but the Rolls family saw that he had a loving farewell.

First Photo of a Presidential Pet

Today we have two similar images that show us what Fido looked like. (See below to read how these were found.)

Up until recently, most historians felt that the photograph was likely taken before the Lincolns left Springfield.

More recently, however, it has been speculated that it is more likely that Fido’s photo was taken after the assassination. (The clue to that has to do with the photographer, “Ingmire” who is identified as having taken the photograph. When more town history was researched, it seems that Ingmire did not have a photo studio in 1860.)

For the funeral, the town was overrun by people. Visitors wanted to buy items related to Lincoln. A townsperson may have decided that that a photo of Fido would sell well.

At the time, photographs were sometimes copied and made into carte-de-visite (calling cards of a sort which were very popular during the Civil War when family members wanted to be remembered).  Shortly after Lincoln’s death, the photo of Fido was reproduced as a carte-de-visite and sold to souvenir collectors.

Either explanation leaves us with the undeniable fact that we have the first photo ever taken of a Presidential dog.

How the Photo of Fido Was Found

Until about the 1940s, no one knew the story of the Lincoln family and Fido. However, thanks to an avid photo collector and his daughter, the two images of Fido led to details of the story.

Frederick Hill Meserve (1865-1962), a well-to-do executive in the textile industry, had a hobby that became all-consuming. His father fought in the Civil War and left behind a diary. Meserve wanted photographs to further tell the story of where his father fought.

He began collecting photographs from the Civil War, and as he shopped, he saw that there were many Lincoln-related images that were available. He began adding those and expanding his collection of photographs from the last 40 years of the 19^th century. He eventually amassed the largest collection of Lincoln and Civil War photographs in private hands.

At the time of his death, he owned some two hundred thousand images including at least ten thousand glass negatives of photographer Matthew Brady.

Daughter Shared Passion

His family came to share this passion.  His oldest daughter, Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt (1901-1979) became an author. One day in the 1930s, she was researching a book on Lincoln’s sons, Tad and Willy. She found two collodion negatives of an images that surprised her. The picture was of a scruffy dog positioned on what must have been a photographer’s table. The dog was paying close attention and clearly trying to please someone ordering him to stay quiet on the table.

In 1940, she traveled to Springfield and tracked down friends of the Lincoln boys. Isaac Diller (1854-1943), was son of the drugstore owner who served the Lincoln family.  Isaac Diller was a boy when the Lincolns moved away. When he grew up, he took over the family business. Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt arrived in Springfield and found Isaac, who was 86 at that time. Diller was able to identify the photograph as being that of Fido, the Lincoln’s beloved dog.

Isaac Diller then referred Kunhardt to another Springfield fellow, John Linden Roll, one of the young boys who played with Willie and Tad and whose family cared for Fido when the Lincolns moved to Washington.  From John Roll, she learned more of the story.

On February 15, 1954, Life magazine published Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt’s story of Fido. Forty years later, she and one of her sons published Twenty Days: A Narrative in Text and Pictures of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

If you are convinced her name sounds familiar, you’re right. Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt was also the author of the best-selling book for babies, Pat the Bunny, first published in 1938.

Teddy Roosevelt had his own sons and daughters whom he loved deeply, but two children, Louis (called Bud) and Temple Abernathy, became his friends while he was in the White House. Roosevelt admired Bud and Temple for living the childhood that Teddy Roosevelt—who was sickly during most of his youth—yearned for.

The Abernathy children were adventurers from the very start. They traveled the country by horseback, by auto, and eventually by motorcycle, all before Bud turned 13 (Temple was 4 years younger). Their father occasionally met up with them during their travels, but their trips were self-initiated and accomplished on their own.

How the Abernathy Boys Came to Meet the President

The Abernathy boys’s mother died when they were very young, leaving John Abernathy to raise six children–four girls and two boys—on his own. John, sometimes referred to as “Catch ‘Em Alive Jack” was a man already known for his derring-do. He mastered the art of hunting wolves and catching them alive so that they could be sold to zoos and menageries.

His self-invented method involved leaping off his horse at an opportune moment to land on or near a wolf, wrestle it to the ground, and ram his fist down the snarling animal’s mouth in such a way that it temporarily paralyzed its jaws and gave Jack time to bind the legs and wire closed the wolf’s mouth.

This was certainly the type of American who would catch Teddy Roosevelt’s interest. During his presidency, his staff contacted the Abernathy ranch in Oklahoma to arrange for the President to participate in a wolf hunt. Roosevelt traveled to Oklahoma in 1905, and it was on that visit—Bud was 6 and Temple was a little over 2—when Roosevelt first met the boys.

Abernathy Boys as Adventurers

The boys themselves dreamed up their own adventures. The first was when they were ages 9 and 5. They prepared a plan to present to their father showing how they wanted to ride by horseback from the family ranch in Oklahoma to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where a friend of their father was the new governor.

Jack Abernathy’s own past gave him confidence in his children. From an early age, he shouldered adult responsibilities. At age, 7, Jack worked as a cowhand, and by the time he was 11, he earned a spot on the Goodnight Ranch’s cattle drive, riding with the best of the best.

When his kids came forward with a well-reasoned plan, he saw no reason to say no.  Had their mother still been alive, the answer probably would have been a different one.

Preparing for the First Adventure

Their father responded positively to the New Mexico plan, partly because he had eyes and ears throughout the West. Shortly after Teddy Roosevelt’s visit in 1905, Roosevelt appointed Abernathy to be the first U.S. Marshal of Oklahoma Territory. This gave him a network of lawmen who would be on the lookout for his boys. He also made sure they were mounted on good horses. Bud was on one of his father’s favorite horses, Sam Bass; Temple rode a pony named Geronimo.

Jack Abernathy set up a bank account so they would have funds as needed. (While the boys planned to camp many of the nights, he also wanted them to have money for a hot meal and a shower at an occasional hotel along the route.) Jack also handed Bud a copy of the New Testament saying, “Carry this with you, and above all, both of you say your prayers at night.”

The boys sent back telegrams when they could, but because of Jack’s network, he heard about them as they traveled.

Disapproval from Others

As the children rode in and out of towns, they attracted attention. Even in the early 20^th century, this was not a normal way for children to live. While children were sent to work in factories at a very young age in the early 1900s, the Abernathy boys lived lives as adults.

One woman confronted Temple, saying “Where is your mother? Why did she let you go on such a dangerous trip?”

Temple answered that his mother was dead. The woman then became hysterical and started to scream: “Where is your father then?” Jack Abernathy had met them in Santa Fe, so to Temple’s great relief, his father was elsewhere in the crowd. Temple pointed him out and slipped away. She then stalked off to greet Jack and tell him he was crazy for letting two young boys make such a trip.

Eyes were Everywhere

While the boys were making their way home from New Mexico, they encountered a group of cowboys branding cattle out in the middle of nowhere. The men were suspicious of the boys at first, but then after they heard their story, they invited to camp with them and share their supper.

The next morning, the wind picked up making it somewhat difficult to see because of the blowing sand, but the boys had a goal for that night so they started off.

After a few hours travel, they looked back. In the distance they could see a lone cowboy. He didn’t seem to want to overtake them. They were puzzled but continued on.

When they got home, the mystery was solved. Their father showed them a letter addressed to “The Marshal of Oklahoma.” It read: “I don’t like one hair on your head, but I do like the stuff that is in these kids. We shadowed them through the worst part of New Mexico to see that they were not harmed by sheepherders, mean men, or animals.” It was signed, “A.Z.Y.”

The men who befriended Bud and Temple were cattle rustlers; Abernathy earned their enmity when he shot one of their gang. Despite this, Bud and Temple won the respect of the outlaws.

Next Trip

Their next proposal to their father was to go to New York to meet Teddy Roosevelt. He was no longer president and was sailing home from Europe after traveling in Africa and Europe. The ship was scheduled to dock in New York harbor in a couple of months.

“How will you afford train tickets?” asked their father.

“We already have them,” Bud replied. “They are in the barn eating hay.”

With that, the two boys began sketching out their route from Oklahoma to New York, mapping out how long they needed for the trip and what they would need to take with them. The plan was for them travel ahead; Jack would take the train several weeks later and meet them in New York.

By this time the boys were celebrities. Townspeople and reporters were out to greet them along their route. Often, they were fed and feted by the townspeople, and too often for Temple, the women wanted to kiss him, because “he was so cute.”

The trip to the northeast was arduous. The roads were not good, and bad weather made the trip very challenging. Roads and bridges got washed out. The boys often waited while men set up hastily-built trestle crossings for travelers to use with caution.

Their route took them to Washington, D.C. where they made a social call at the White House to say hello to President Taft. From there, they journeyed to New York.

New York

After meeting their father in New York, they all were at the pier on the day Teddy Roosevelt’s ship arrived. Before disembarking, Roosevelt made a few remarks to the crowd. During his speech, he noted the Abernathys and called out to them with delight, urging them toward the front of the crowd.

A ticker tape parade was held for the former president. He didn’t permit the parade to begin until the Abernathy boys—Bud on Sam Bass and Temple on his new pony, Wylie Haynes–took their places on horseback right behind him.

Homeward Bound by Auto

Jack’s intent had always been to ship the horses home from New York and take the boys back with him by train. After a few days of sightseeing, the boys tested him with another idea. Bud and Temple wanted an automobile so they could drive home. (There were no laws as to driving age at that time.)

Their father was skeptical but turned them loose, saying, “If you can find a car you could manage that is cheap enough, I’ll take a look.”

The boys spent two or three days visiting car dealers in Manhattan. On the last day they were to be in New York, they came upon a car known as a Brush Runabout. The dealer felt it was the “perfect” automobile for two youngsters to drive to Oklahoma.

The boys rushed back to the hotel to get their father. Jack returned with them and agreed that at $485 for the small, light car, they should be okay. As long as the boys were going by car, he decided to buy himself a more substantial one known as a Maxwell. This way he would have a bigger automobile for the family. (Money did not seem to be a problem for Abernathy; later, the boys earn money from sponsors but at this point, we must assume a U.S. marshal was relatively well paid.)

Trip in Brush Runabout

Bud spent an afternoon learning to drive the car, and a few days later, they were ready. As they traveled, the Brush Runabout did quite well. The Maxwell was heavy enough that bad roads and bad weather waylaid it frequently. Jack finally arranged to ship the Maxwell home and bought himself a train ticket. The boys navigated the rest of the trip on their own.

Jack Becomes a Stage Father

By this time, the children were known all over the country. Companies wanted to capitalize on them, and of course, first in line was the Brush Automobile Company. The car company used illustrations of Bud and Temple in their car ads, and later, they hired the boys to come back to New York for appearances at the auto show.

Jack decided they were movie material and put together some silent films starring the kids. He also became friendly with Fred Thompson and Skip Dundy who were the men behind Luna Park, one of the amusement parks on Coney Island. The men saw publicity possibilities written all over Bud and Temple.

Promotion Men

First, Thompson and Dandy hired the boys to bring their horses to Luna Park where they were on hand to meet people and tell their stories.

Next, the men mapped out an election-related stunt to keep the two kids in the public eye. The men planned a race from New York to Washington, D.C. for a donkey and an elephant with each Abernathy boy riding one of the animals. The winning animal would foretell the result of the 1912 election.

Since both boys loved Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican, each hoped to ride the Republican elephant. Temple, however, as the younger brother, found himself on the donkey, symbol of the Democratic party.

When the race concluded, only one thing was foretold: Elephant feet are not able to withstand long trips on hard surfaces. Jenny the elephant’s feet became so sore that they had to cancel the closely-watched race.

Cross-Country on Horseback

The next event ironed out with Jack by promoters Thompson and Dandy was a New York to San Francisco trip for the boys by horseback in fewer than 60 days. It was scheduled for the summer of 1911. The boys would carry a flask of water from the Atlantic Ocean (retrieved from the beach near Luna Park) to the Pacific Ocean near San Francisco. To increase the challenge for the boys, the race was only valid if they did not eat or sleep indoors throughout the trip. Jack insisted on the provision that the boys be given Sundays as a rest day, and those days would not be part of the count.

The prize money was $10,000.

The boys competed masterfully, but the Rockies proved difficult, and the Utah dessert was their undoing. They were low on both food and water, and the heat was almost unbearable. One night when they stopped to sleep, they were too tired to hobble the horses. During the night the horses wandered off looking for water. The Abernathys devoted 2-and-a-half days to searching for the animals. First, one horse was found, and then the other finally appeared when they reached a small town, but the boys lost precious time.

Bud and Temple weren’t quitters and completed the rest of the route. On the 62^nd day, they gamely descended toward the ocean near San Francisco. With the horses knee deep in water, Bud emptied out the well-traveled flask of Atlantic water into the warmer currents of the Pacific.

They didn’t earn the prize money, but they set a record for pace of travel. By this time, they were ages 11 and 7.

One Final Adventure

In 1913, the Abernathy family received a new proposal. The Hendee Manufacturing Company in Springfield, Massachusetts, was selling the new Indian motocycle (then spelled without the “r”), They proposed giving the boys a custom-made 1913 cycle to ride to New York as a promotion. It was yet another adventure for these two not-afraid-of-anything-for-long brothers.

Adventures End

After that trip, their lives became more focused on school and life in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Bud went on to be a lawyer, serving the community as a district attorney and a county judge. Temple worked in the oil and gas business with his father.

Inspiration from Roosevelt

In his book Bud and Me, Temple recalled something Teddy Roosevelt said to the two of them when they visited him at Sagamore Hill. Temple attributed the advice to having inspired them:

“Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground. Courage, hard work, self-mastery, and intelligent effort are all essential to successful life. Alike for both the nation and the individual, the one indispensable requisite is character.”

Also see Growing Up to be Teddy Roosevelt.

And to see a video version of the Abernathy Kids, click here The True Tales of the Abernathy Kids.

Turkey is the traditional main course eaten by Americans on Thanksgiving Day, and the occupants of the White House have long celebrated this tradition. But unlike mere mortals who buy our turkeys at the grocery store, the first family has farms vying for the honor of providing turkeys for the White House.

Turkey Gift Tradition Goes Back to 1870s

While presidents prior to Ulysses S. Grant doubtless received Thanksgiving turkeys from admirers, a Rhode Island poultry farmer named Harold Vose was the first to make a custom of it. Vose sent President Grant “the noblest gobbler in all that little state” in 1873. With that gift, Vose began an annual tradition.

Vose did not always raise the Thanksgiving turkey but he was well known for his donation, so he attracted the attention of turkey men throughout the Northeast. He sometimes traveled to visit the farms he thought were raising promising birds. In addition, farmers from Connecticut and Rhode Island and environs arrived at Vose’s farm, offering to sell him the “perfect” bird for the White House meal. Vose carefully weighed and evaluated the birds, buying many of them. As the holiday neared, he chose the largest most perfect bird for that year.

Vose may have taken on the responsibility for promotional reasons or out of patriotism, and his commitment to providing the official White House turkey did not flag.  Vose’s farm is cited as the source of the official White House turkey through 1913. That December Vose died, bringing to an end the tradition of the official turkey coming from Rhode Island.

New Turkey Provider

By 1915 the source of the official turkey was new.  That year it was provided by the House of Representatives clerk, South Trimble.  Trimble was from Lexington, Kentucky, but during the summer of 1915, he reportedly visited a relative’s farm in Oregon and hand-picked the turkey that was to be raised for the White House. Given the state of refrigeration at that time, the bird likely made the cross-country train trip while still alive.

In 1917, Trimble was still sending the White House the official turkey but that year it was coming from a farm in Kentucky.  The turkey had been specially raised for the White House and was fattened on a diet of acorns and chestnuts.  However, train congestion caused a delay in delivery and, as The New York Times described, the turkey was delivered “at the eleventh hour” after many days’ traveling.  (The New York Times, 11-29-17).

Other Turkeys and Birds Arrive, Too

Most years, however, the White House did not need to worry about having something for dinner. Other turkeys or game were delivered with great regularity.  In 1904 The New York Times (11-23-1904) wrote that the official turkey (no doubt the Vose turkey at this time) was the only bird that would be served at the President’s table on Thanksgiving but that there were many other offerings sent to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  “These included turkeys, game birds in season, and other offerings appropriate to the day and occasion.”

A glance through a newspaper of the early 1900s show articles that describe cabinet members arriving at the White House bearing the results of their weekend hunting trips. What better plan—bring your catch to someone else to prepare!

Coolidge Tries to Change Tradition

Grace and Calvin Coolidge were “animal” people, and they were distressed at the thought of receiving more birds than needed. For that reason, President Calvin Coolidge specified in 1923 (his first year in office) that no turkeys were to be given to him for Thanksgiving dinner.

He announced that he and Grace preferred to buy their own turkey to reduce waste.  (The New York Times, 11-28-1923)

The president made no ruling on dessert, however. One admiring Washington chef sent to the White House a two-and-a-half foot wide pumpkin pie. The fellow enclosed a note saying that he would have baked a larger pie if he had been able to find a larger oven.

On the turkey front, Coolidge was fighting a losing battle. In 1924, birds for the White House continued to arrive. One of Coolidge’s aides reported that the table featured two turkey gobblers; each one weighing more than 30 pounds. The Coolidge White House also received two score quail, wild ducks, wild geese, more than a dozen rabbits, and a young buck deer. The New York Times wrote that this was the first time a deer had been sent for Thanksgiving.

Coolidges Save Thanksgiving Raccoon

The deer must have already been killed, or Grace Coolidge likely would have stopped it. One of the Coolidge pets—a raccoon soon named Rebecca—first arrived as a gift for Thanksgiving dinner. That was not happening under Grace Coolidge’s watch. Rebecca was quickly snatched from the hands of anyone on the kitchen staff. A pen was built around a tree as a home for Rebecca. The Coolidges acquired a companion for Rebecca, but Reuben soon moved out. Rebecca, however, was with them for quite some time.

In 1929 the Hoovers were well set for Thanksgiving dinner with the official turkey, but Washington Postmaster William M. Mooney wanted to add another. He killed an 18-pound turkey while hunting in the Shenandoah Valley; he brought it to the White House, and we assume Mooney was invited to stay for dinner.

Northwestern Turkey Growers Want a Turn

In 1936 we have a new source of the official turkey—this time the Northwestern Turkey Growers Association with members in fourteen states.  The turkey that was deemed the king of turkeys for the year was raised by Ed Spaulding of Provo, Utah.  The Utah Governor Henry H. Blood, a Democrat, had a donkey crate created for the turkey’s trip.  Since the donkey is the symbol of the Democratic Party, it was Governor Blood’s way of sending very special greetings to President Roosevelt.

National Turkey Federation Takes Over

By 1947, the National Turkey Federation took on the responsibility of being the official supplier of the White House turkey for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We can assume that “back-up turkeys” continued to be delivered to the White House.

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.

He fought in the War of 1812, the Second Seminole War (Florida), and the Mexican-American War where he gained the rank of major general. When it was suggested that he run for president, Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) was surprised. He was not interested in politics—he’d never even voted–and he loved being in the military.

The Whig Party thought he was a winner, and party representatives got Taylor to agree to run. He was from a Kentucky family of slave-holders, which would interest Southerners. Northerners would respect his long and excellent military career.

Political operatives were right. Taylor won the presidency with 163 electoral votes to 122 achieved by Lewis Cass, the Democratic nominee.

Household to D.C.

Taylor (1784-1850) and his wife, Margaret Mackall Smith, had six children. The Taylors undoubtedly had various pets, as most families did at that time. (To read about a lively household with lots of pets, read about the pets in the Benjamin Harrison household.) The only documented animals, however, are a horse and a pony—Old Whitey and Apollo. Old Whitey carried Taylor on to many battlefields; Apollo was a former circus pony who was a gift to one of the Taylor daughters, Bettie.

How Taylor Acquired Whitey

Old Whitey is described as looking more like a “family horse” than the war horse he became under General Taylor. The horse was slightly knock-kneed, and by the time Taylor entered the Executive Mansion, Whitey was showing his age.

Whitey had been sold to General Taylor by Captain George McCall. McCall was as fine a horseman as the well-respected rider, Ulysses Grant. He rode the most spirited horses, and he loved the challenge.

But Whitey was not one of those horses.

Old Whitey was McCall’s favorite buggy horse. That was a good credential to have, but not what one would expect of a war horse. Zachary Taylor did not care. He liked the horse’s docile temperament. The General thought he would be unflappable in battle.

Taylor’s fellow soldiers tried to dissuade him from riding Whitey in battle. They pointed out that a light-colored horse (he was actually a pale grey) was much easier for the enemy to spot than a horse that was dark in color.

Taylor stayed with his decision. Whitey proved to be calm and steady just as Taylor hoped.

Horses to D.C.

Because Zachary Taylor’s presidential committee had built up his war hero status, images of Taylor on Whitey were frequently printed on leaflets and in newspapers.  As a result, the public felt they knew Whitey, and he was almost as well-liked as his rider. The public wanted to see him.

Since Whitey was of an age where he should be retired, Taylor almost certainly considered leaving him on the Taylor plantation in Louisiana. But public interest in Whitey was enormous, and Taylor was fond of him. He made plans for Whitey to be brought to Washington, D.C.

Travel Itinerary Publicized

With the care one would use if planning travel for a dignitary, a staff member carefully planned out Whitey’s itinerary. The White House Historical Association speculates that Whitey was shipped via boat and train to cover the distance from Taylor’s plantation in Louisiana to Washington, D.C. At each place where Whitey was brought into town, both the public and the press were notified.

People loved seeing the general’s horse and being close enough to touch him. By the time Whitey reached D.C., he had very little hair left in his tail. People wanted a memento of the horse and its owner.

Upon arrival on Pennsylvania Avenue, he was made to feel at home in the stable that was on the White House grounds, east of the house.

Whitey was Popular with Tourists

Whitey became a D.C. tourist sensation. He was permitted to stroll the White House grounds at his leisure, munching on grass most of the day. If he saw people gathering by the iron fence, Whitey was likely to wander over to see if they had an apple or carrots or some sweet treat for him to enjoy.

This was not a risk-free experience. Whitey had two bullet wounds—one on his neck and one on his right hip—people loved to pet him and feel the indentation. And if his hindquarters got near the fence, stealthy hands would reach through to pluck a few of the last remaining hairs from Whitey’s tail.

Visits from the President

At least three times each week, the president came down to the stable to visit “old Billy,” as Taylor called him. “Come Billy,” the General would say.” And Whitey would come forward and “fondle his head about his master’s shoulders like a pet dog,” according to The Natchez Daily Courier (April 23, 1850).

When the General waved a kerchief, Whitey knew this was a familiar signal from battle. He pranced as if on the battlefield, moving at the sound of martial music and the roar of cannon.”

A Pony Friend, Too

Before assuming the presidency, the Taylor family received the gift of a former circus pony named Apollo.

A gentleman in Louisiana who was friends with Zachary Taylor purchased Apollo for his own daughter. The girl died shortly afterward in a terrible carriage accident (unrelated to Apollo). Her father couldn’t bear to sell the pony, but he knew that Taylor’s daughter would love him.

Apollo went along with Old Whitey to the White House, and as a pony of Bettie Taylor, lived a long and good life.

Zachary Taylor as President

Had Zachary Taylor lived longer than 16 months after taking office, he might have changed history. He saw the trouble that slavery was causing the country, and he wasn’t afraid to confront the issue. Taylor urged California and New Mexico residents to write constitutions and apply for statehood. As he saw it, if these two territories came in as free states, it would begin to swing the balance of power.

This, however, angered the South. As early as 1850, the Southern leaders threatened secession. If Taylor served out his term of office, he would have needed to begin talking to both sides.

Whitey Soon Had Funeral Responsibilities

In early July of 1950, President Taylor became very ill. He suffered severe stomach pains and was diagnosed with cholera morbus.  He died only a few days later.

Millard Fillmore, his vice president, took office on July 9, 1850.

Traditional Funeral

Because it was so unexpected, Zachary Taylor’s funeral was a particularly sad affair. A religious service was held in the East Room of the Executive mansion, and the coffin was placed on elaborate carriage that had a great eagle on top.

In the processional, Old Whitey, let by a coachman, followed along behind the carriage that served as a hearse. Whitey was saddled with General Taylor’s military saddle, but of course, there was no rider. General Taylor’s boots were placed backward in the stirrups to symbolize that he was taking one last look back at his family and the troops he commanded.

Taylor was buried near his childhood home in Kentucky.

1. Eight presidents have been left-handed: Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Harry S. Truman, Herbert Hoover, James Garfield, and Grover Cleveland. Because using one’s left hand was actively discouraged until recently, there may have been more with a tendency toward left-handedness.
2. President Barack Obama (2008-2016) loved Spiderman and Conan the Barbarian comic books and read any he could get his hands on growing up.
3. Calvin Coolidge (1923-29) and his wife, Grace, loved animals and seemingly maintained a personal zoo. He had six dogs, a cat, a bobcat, a goose, a donkey, two lion cubs, an antelope, a wallaby, and a pet raccoon. He was also given a pygmy hippopotamus named Billy by tire mogul Harvey Firestone. Billy was six feet long and weighed upwards of 600 pounds. Eventually, the Coolidges donated Billy to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. For more about the Coolidges, their pet raccoon and their efforts to raise ducks inside the White House, see “The Coolidge Dogs and Other ”
4. As a child, Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) suffered from severe asthma and was too sickly to attend school. As he grew older, he became determined to overcome this impediment, and he placed great value on physical exercise. His active interest in hiking and hunting increased his interest in conserving land as national parks.  Here is more about Growing Up to be Teddy Roosevelt.

More Facts about Presidents

5. Despite the strong association with Kansas, Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61) started life as a a Texan. He was born in Denison, Texas on October 14, 1890.

6. William Howard Taft (1909-13) was the last president to have a presidential cow at the White House to provide milk, cream and butter. Taft was also the first to have an automobile. Here is a story about Taft and dieting.

7.  Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-45), our only four-term president, led the country out of the Depression and into the perilous years of World War II. His favorite way to relax was working on his stamp collection. One of the privileges of his presidency was that he always obtained the first sheet of any commemorative stamps that were issued during his terms of office.

8.  Most people now know that the story of young George Washington cutting down a cherry tree and confessing his deed to his father is untrue. Where did it come from? His first biographer, Parson Weems, created stories to depict the type of man he believed Washington to be.

9. Only one president had his election victory announced via Pony Express: Abraham Lincoln in 1860. The rider traveled from Fort Kearney, Nebraska to Fort Churchill, Nevada in only 6 days. It was the fastest ride ever for the Pony Express. Here is more about growing up to be Abraham Lincoln.

10. Thomas Jefferson (1801-09) was the president who conceived of the journey taken by Lewis and Clark to explore the West. When they returned, Lewis and Clark brought to Jefferson many gifts. A grizzly bear cub brought back by the expedition lived at the White House for a time. Native American objects and animal skins, horns, and bones were eventually displayed in Jefferson’s Entrance Hall at Monticello.  While the original artifacts disappeared at some point, Monticello worked with Native American groups to recreate the look of the Entrance Hall in honor of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial.