U.S. presidents are a diverse lot as pet owners

Dogs and cats have dominated the roster of White House pets over the course of U.S. history, but there have been a few notable and bizarre exceptions – like Rebecca and Reuben – the raccoon pets of President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace. The Coolidges occupied the White House from 1923-29.

Rebecca arrived in 1926, a gift from Vinnie Joyce of Nitta Yuma, Miss. The critter was intended to be the main course for Thanksgiving dinner. Christopher Klein, writing for History.com, reported that Coolidge politely declined dining on roasted raccoon. Rebecca was welcome to stay on, however, adopting the title of “First Raccoon.”

“President Coolidge was known to walk around with Rebecca draped around his neck, while photos show his wife cradling the raccoon in her arms like a cat,” wrote Claire McLean, former owner and curator of the Presidential Pet Museum. “At night, Rebecca would crawl up into her master’s lap in front of the fireplace.”

Grace Coolidge said, “We kept Rebecca leashed when out of doors, but in the White House, she had her liberty. She was a mischievous, inquisitive party, and we had to keep watch of her when she was in the house. She enjoyed nothing better than being placed in a bathtub with a little water in it and given a cake of soap with which to play. In this fashion she would amuse herself for an hour or more.”

The staff saw things a bit differently, Klein reported. He cited an article from the Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer that labeled Rebecca as “the most obstreperous of all the recent White House pets” – unruly and uncontrollable – “as she ripped up clothing and clawed on the upholstery.” The creature could “wriggle free” from harnesses and other restraints, leading to wild chases through the president’s home.

“By early 1928, Rebecca had a new, male raccoon companion, dubbed Reuben by the president, but the two got along about as well as Republicans and Democrats,” Klein said. Having no baby kits was probably a blessing to the Coolidges…and the country.

Then, there’s the story about President Benjamin Harrison and his wife, Caroline, who brought two opossums in the White House during his presidency from 1889-93. He named the marsupials for key elements of the Republican party platform, “Mr. Reciprocity” and “Mr. Protection.”

The Harrisons also had a billy goat, “Old Whiskers,” who would get strapped to a cart to provide joyful rides for the grandchildren. One day, with young Benjamin McKee as passenger, the goat scampered off and granddad was seen sprinting in hot pursuit of the runaway goat cart.

An “eye witness” told the Washington Evening Star: “The President’s coat tails shot straight out behind; he had his top hat in one hand and cane in the other.” He eventually caught up with Old Whiskers and Baby McKee was safe.

Although most White House pets have offered its residents some form of companionship, President Woodrow Wilson kept his for financial reasons, according to Sarah Crow a freelance writer for Best Life magazine.

Wilson oversaw a flock of 48 sheep during his stay in the White House from 1913-21, “using them as a means of keeping the White House lawn trimmed,” Crow wrote. “The sheep actually generated revenue, earning more than $52,000 for the American Red Cross when the wool was auctioned off.”

The boss of the operation was Old Ike, a mean and cantankerous ram. He was very protective of his ewes. While they tended to the grass, Old Ike gathered up and ate the prevalent form of litter on the White House grounds, discarded cigar butts.

When a constituent presented President Abraham Lincoln with a turkey to be roasted for the family’s Christmas feast, the Lincolns’ youngest son, Tad, age 10, vetoed the menu. Dagnabbit, the boy bonded with the bird, whom he named Jack.

“Thus, began the time-honored tradition of the presidential turkey pardon,” McLean noted.