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All Creatures Great and Small
Presidential Pets (1860-1921)
Tad Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln (1861-65), rides one of his two ponies. 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. President Harrison chased him in hot pursuit. First Lady Caroline Harrison owned a pet collie named Dash, who had his own doghouse. For awhile, the Harrisons (1889-93) owned two opossums named Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection. Teddy Roosevelt, Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09), poses with his blue macaw, Eli Yale, June 17, 1902.
Archie Roosevelt, son of President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09), poses with Algonquin the calico pony June 17, 1902. Algonquin once rode in the White House elevator to visit Archie when he was ill. 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). To cut costs during World War I, President Woodrow Wilson (1913-21) brought a flock of sheep to trim the White House grounds. Included in the flock was Old Ike, a tobacco-chewing ram. Pictured next to the West Wing is a mound of wool from President Woodrow Wilson's sheep. Wilson was president from 1913 to 1921.
From Tad Lincoln's horse to Woodrow Wilson's sheep, take a look at these early photographic images of presidential pets.