Socks advises a nation in 1993 In this guest post, Valerie Giles shares about presidential cats of our neighbour to the south. Although there have been many more dogs brought to the White House as family pets, a dozen American presidents had cats as part of their households. The current president, Joe Biden, has announced intention to adopt a cat [update: grey tabby Willow has finally arrived at the White House!]. These are the presidents who had cats:
Abraham Lincoln (1861 – 1865) – was the first president to bring cats to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. His cats were Tabby and Dixie, gifts from his Secretary of State. Lincoln played with kitties to relieve stress and always was seen being kind to cats. Rutherford Hayes (1877 – 1881) – had the first Siamese cat brought to the United States, a gift from the American diplomat serving in Bangkok. Appropriately, he named it Siam. It joined the First Lady’s cat, Piccolomini. William McKinley (1897 – 1901) – had Angora kittens named Valeriano Weyler (for a Spanish general) and Enrique Dupuy de Lome (for the Spanish Ambassador). Theodore Roosevelt (1901 – 1909) – adopted a unique cat with six toes on each paw. Slippers had the run of the White House along with a cat named Tom Quartz (for a feline character in Mark Twain’s “Roughing It” book about travel). Woodrow Wilson (1913 – 1921) – spent time with pet cats named Puffins and Mittens. Calvin Coolidge (1923 – 1929) – had many cats: Tiger, Blacky, Bounder, Mud, Timmie and a bobcat named Smoky. Coolidge allowed his cats to ride the White House elevator. John F. Kennedy (1961 – 1963) - was actually allergic to cats, so Tom Kitten didn’t roam the building. Eventually, the cat spent most of its time with staff. Gerald Ford (1974 – 1977) – enjoyed the company of a Siamese cat named Shan Shein. It slept under the bed in the Lincoln bedroom. Jimmy Carter (1977 – 1981) – Misty Malarkey Ying Yang was doted upon by his daughter, Amy Carter. The cat vocalized while she practised violin. Ronald Reagan (1981 – 1989) – gave “presidential kitty” status to Cleo and Sara. The cats actually lived at his Santa Barbara ranch. Bill Clinton (1993 – 2001) – brought Socks to Washington. A tuxedo cat, Socks was often photographed and even celebrated in song and with a book. George W. Bush (2001 – 2009) – named this black cat India Willie. Willie spent most of his days in the president’s library. Valerie Giles This article was first published in PG MinitMag. I’m grateful to editor Dennis Chapman for forwarding it to me. Sadly, Valerie passed away in December, but left a huge legacy in her writing. Her story is told in Valerie the Cat-Lover. Photo notes: “Socks at the podium in the White House Press Briefing Room,” Dec. 5, 1993, Barbara Kinney, Clinton Presidential Library & Museum, from Wikipedia.
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