Noodle Presents: Presidential Pets in History

Behold my cat.  Her name is Noodleface.

Noodleface is often found "assisting" me in research by sitting in my chair, sitting on my printer, unloading the shredder to play with its contents, knocking over my books, and dragging my mousepad off to her lair.  She is paid a stipend in tuna and a throne of texts.

Now you see why I get so much done.

Having Noodle around destroying everything in sight helping me has piqued my interest in presidential pets.  I am now openly admitting on the internet forever that I wrote a letter to Socks, First Cat of the Clinton administration, and was thrilled to receive a card back with a picture.  I was amused by the Barney-cam mass following during the Bush years and remember the brouhaha over where the Obama girls' long-promised puppy would come from.  So presidential pets have the potential to both ignite political discussion and captivate public attention.

Noodleface is also interested in presidential pets.  She wants to know how one gets the privilege of making classified dossiers their own personal scratching post.

This begs a closer look.  What kinds of crazy pets have been in the White House, and what kinds of antics did they get up to? Therefore... 

Noodle Presents:  Presidential Pets in History

Today's gone to the dogs.  Canines:  man's best friend, right?  Turns out, dogs in the White House haven't always gone swimmingly.  Let's take a look at some troublesome presidential beasts in this week's Noodle Special.

1.  Harry Truman's Dog, Feller

To be fair, the problem wasn't really with Feller himself.  Feller arrived one day as a gift for the Trumans, back when you could actually send packages to the White House that would end up in the Oval Office.  The Trumans tried to "re-gift" Feller to their doctor, which put post-war Americans on the offensive against their apparent dog-hating president.  Feller was eventually whisked off to a farm out of sight of the press where he lived with the family of a naval officer.  And yes, it was verified that he actually lived the rest of his days on a farm, and not a "farm".

2.  Bill Clinton's Dog, Buddy

Buddy was a good-looking chocolate lab pub in 1997 with a slightly misleading name:  by all accounts he terrorized Socks, Chelsea Clinton's cat who had arrived at the White House with the Clintons in 1993. Buddies these two were not.  When Socks was rehomed to Clinton's secretary as a ceasefire, cat-lovers lambasted the decision as though Clinton was some kind of Truman.  Clinton himself admitted defeat on the matter after the fact, saying, "I did better with the Arabs -- the Palestinians and the Israelis -- than I have done with Socks and Buddy."   (http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0101/12/ip.00.html)

3.  Jimmy Carter's Dog, Grits
  
This sweet picture of Carter's daughter, Amy, and Grits, a border collie given to her by her teacher, is all we know of Grits.  Seriously.  Grits appeared, and then Grits was returned to the teacher.  Considering that Jimmy Carter ran on campaign promises of transparency, including his famous 1976 "I will never lie to you", the flash-in-the-pan that was Grits' tenure in the White House is all the more mysterious.
 

Inauguration Days

Inauguration Day has been with the American political system since the inception of the presidency.  Americans now, like then, expect the president to be sworn in and make a speech, and the vast majority of presidents have met these obligations.  (The Buck-the-Trend Award goes to Gerald Ford, who, after assuming the presidency from Watergate-stricken Richard Nixon, did not have an inauguration and went out of his way to make "not an inaugural address...just a little straight talk among friends".)

Modern Americans also expect the inauguration to go well and without a hitch, with the pinnacle of concern being whether the selected pop star will butcher the "and the rockets' red glare" portion of the National Anthem.  A brief look at inaugurations past prove this was not always the case.  Here are three instances of inaugurations gone haywire.  History can't make this stuff up.

Option 1:  Stood Up By Predecessor

 Versus

It's well-known that staunch Federalist and second president of the United States John Adams had no love for Thomas Jefferson, who narrowly edged out Adams in an election so contentious historians refer to it as the "Revolution of 1800".  Jefferson's inauguration set the stage for future ceremonies in many ways:  it was held in Washington, D.C. with the Marine band present, and the full text of his address was made available in the press.  But one aspect would not become tradition.  Adams did not attend the inauguration, instead returning to his native Massachusetts at the end of his term.  Ten years would pass until Adams and Jefferson reconciled, and they maintained a friendship the rest of their lives, famously dying on the same day:  July 4, 1826.

Option 2:  Raucous Party Nearly Destroys White House

"President's Levee, or all Creation going to the White House", Library of Congress

Andrew Jackson has quite a few claims to fame, and not all of them are well-received today:  he ordered the removal of Native Americans from the Southeast resulting in the deadly Trail of Tears, was an outspoken supporter of the expansion of slavery, and went on a mission to destroy the National Bank, which then caused an economic depression.  But he was also an amusing figure who wanted to expand political participation.  In the ultimate "let them eat cake" moment in American history, Jackson's inaugural reception was essentially crashed by a largely drunken public.  Jackson himself made a quick escape to a nearby quiet inn, while White House staff lured the partygoers from the premises with alcoholic punch.

Option 3:  Deliver Inaugural Address to Warring Pseudo-Nation 

"Inauguration of Mr. Lincoln", March 4, 1861, Library of Congress

History has not always been kind to Abraham Lincoln.  Sure, he got a memorial in D.C., but he's also stuck on the penny and historians can't decide whether to focus on his ineffectual Emancipation Proclamation or his tendency to suspend habeas corpus. But the present wasn't necessarily kind to Lincoln, either.  Aside from the obvious assassination unluckiness, Lincoln was set to inherit a nation deeply divided -- until South Carolina decided to secede and make it actually divided in December 1860.  Lincoln's inaugural address in early March of 1861 addressed the leaders of the newly-formed Confederacy directly, telling them, "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection."  Affection didn't win the day, and Lincoln's second inaugural address reflected the loss and sadness of a nation in civil war, which he lived just long enough to see end.

Welcome!

Welcome to The Everyday Historian.  Who is the Everyday Historian, you ask?  The Everyday Historian is me, a professional historian, but it is also you -- whether you are an academic, a history professional, a history learner, an enthusiast of the past, or someone living in a world informed of its past and creating history as you live your life.  I believe that there are many ways to engage with the past, and all are legitimate, so The Everyday Historian is a place where we can ponder the past, be amused by history, and perhaps learn a thing or two, without labels or pretense or the pressure of your high school history teacher.

I'll post 2-3 times a week and keep the content varied.  Feedback is always appreciated, as are discussion and suggestions!  Some examples of what you'll find in the coming weeks:

• Historical recipes and crafts, brought to life, probably with varying degrees of success
• Book and website reviews, some serious, some...not (satire and parody are very historical!)
• "Ask the Historian", where I'll harness all my research skills to answer YOUR questions
• Discussion of history in films -- what works, and what doesn't (I'm looking at you, "Gangs of New York".  Daniel Day-Lewis can't save you from gross anachronism!)
• Featured historical homes, structures, and places.  I'll need your help for this one, so save all your pictures and best "old house plumbing stories".
• Essays on the history of topics of interest today.  Wonder about the history of gun control?  The origins of healthcare?  Why the country is so regionally divided?  You've come to the right place.

See?  Not boring, and there won't even be a quiz!