What president kept a alligator in the White House?

Did you know President John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator? He kept it in a bathtub in the East Room of the White House. But President Adams wasn't the only commander-in-chief with an unusual pet.

Which president had the weirdest pet?

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.

What was the weirdest pet in the White House?

How many presidents have pet alligators?

Long before our nation had animal rights organizations and activists, some exotic animals took up residence at the White House. The largest — and toothiest — of these are the alligators of not one, but two, presidents.

What pet did John F Kennedy have?

Kennedy brought pet hamsters Debbie and Billie; a gray cat, Tom Kitten; and a canary, Robin, to the White House. Eventually, ponies Macaroni and Tex; Pushinka; Welsh terrier Charley; German shepherd Clipper; cocker spaniel Shannon; parakeets Maybelle and Bluebell; and Wolf, an Irish wolfhound, would come and go.

Not 1, But 2 Presidents Kept Alligators at the White House

What was George Washington's favorite pet?

At his home, Mount Vernon, he had many traditional farm animals. However, his favorite animal was his beloved horse, Nelson. President Washington was riding Nelson when he accepted General Charles Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown, the battle that ended the Revolutionary War.

Which president had a pet grizzly bear?

Thomas Jefferson received a pair of grizzly bears as a gift from Captain Zebulon Pike in 1807. The bears arrived at about the same time as Pike's letter (October 1807) explaining that he had acquired the male and female cubs in the southern region of the great Continental Divide.

Which president couldn t fit in the bathtub?

And President William Howard Taft got stuck in a bathtub, and then got unstuck. This is his story. “Although there's considerably more naked flesh on display than in the average picture book, there's no denying the riveting spectacle of Taft's struggle.”

Which president had a pet tiger?

Tiger (Tige) – Blacky and I were the first of the Coolidge cats to live in the White House. President Coolidge liked to wear me around his neck. I loved to explore, and the first time that I escaped, I went all the way to the Lincoln memorial!

Which president had a pet raccoon?

President Coolidge's favorite pet was a raccoon named Rebecca; he built a special house for her, visited her every day, and walked her around the White House on a leash.

Which president had a pet hyena?

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.

What is the most famous presidential pet?

George and Barbara Bush's dog Millie, may have been the most famous presidential dog. Millie was an English Springer Spaniel that even had her own memoir. The book, Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush reached the New York Times Best Seller list in 1992.

Which president never had a pet?

Most United States presidents have kept pets while in office, or pets have been part of their families. Only James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump did not have any presidential pets while in office.

Which president had a pet elephant?

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.

What president had a pet snake?

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, was famous for his many pets. His six kids had snakes, dogs, cats, a badger, birds, guinea pigs, and more.

What president put in the swimming pool?

President Gerald R. Ford, an avid swimmer, installed an outdoor pool on the White House grounds in 1975. FDR's swimming pool was completed in 1933.

Who was heaviest president?

The weight range has been between 122lbs (55kg) and 332lbs (151kg), meaning that the heaviest president, William Howard Taft, was almost three times as heavy as the lightest president, James Madison (who was also the shortest president).

Which president had a stroke?

Edith Bolling Galt Wilson was second wife of the 28th President, Woodrow Wilson. She served as First Lady from 1915 to 1921. After the President suffered a severe stroke, she pre-screened all matters of state, functionally running the Executive branch of government for the remainder of Wilson's second term.

Which president had a pet lion?

President Theodore Roosevelt and family were prolific pet owners and animal lovers.

Which president had a pet cow?

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).

Which president had goats?

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.

Which president was the most physically fit?

Theodore Roosevelt, perhaps the most physically fit President to occupy the oval office, also led the nation into the new century. He recognized the importance of exercise and physical activity, and had the power to encourage the citizens of America to be physically active.

Which president had the first dog?

John Adams' dogs, Juno and Satan, were the first to call the White House home. In the year 1800, with construction of the White House nearly complete, our second president, John Adams and First Lady Abigail moved in along with Abigail's two mixed-breed pups, Juno and Satan.

Which president had a bear as a pet?

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.