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. Along with a menagerie of dogs, cats, horses and birds, presidents and their families also had pet snakes, raccoons, bears, cows, mice, and more. Meet Thomas Jefferson's mockingbird, Dick, who ate from the president's mouth; Warren Harding's dog, Laddie Boy, who was served a birthday cake made of dog biscuits; and Teddy Roosevelt's pony, Algonquin, who rode up the White House elevator.President Adams' Alligator teaches children about the presidency through pets of the presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama.
This inside look at the White House's animal residents features a rollicking, rhyming verse for each commander-in-chief's pets, accompanied by cool facts, presidential stats, and laugh-out-loud cartoon art. John Quincy Adams kept an alligator in the bathtub, while Thomas Jefferson's pride and joy was his pair of bear cubs. Andrew Jackson had a potty-mouthed parrot, and Martin Van Buren got into a fight with Congress over his two baby tigers. First daughter Caroline Kennedy's pony Macaroni had free reign over the White House. But the pet-owning winner of all the presidents was Theodore Roosevelt, who had a hyena, lion, zebra, badger, snake, rats, a nippy dog that bit the French ambassador, and more!
Describes the various kinds of pets, including grizzly bears and alligators, kept at the White House by various presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush.
February 21, 1848, the House of Representatives, Washington D.C.: Congressman John Quincy Adams, rising to speak, suddenly collapses at his desk; two days later, he dies in the Speaker’s chamber. The public mourning that followed, writes Paul C. Nagel, “exceeded anything previously seen in America. Forgotten was his failed presidency and his often cold demeanor. It was the memory of an extraordinary human being—one who in his last years had fought heroically for the right of petition and against a war to expand slavery—that drew a grateful people to salute his coffin in the Capitol and to stand by the railroad tracks as his bier was transported from Washington to Boston.” Nagel probes deeply into the psyche of this cantankerous, misanthropic, erudite, hardworking son of a former president whose remarkable career spanned many offices: minister to Holland, Russia, and England, U.S. senator, secretary of state, president of the United States (1825-1829), and, finally, U.S. representative (the only ex-president to serve in the House). On the basis of a thorough study of Adams’ seventy-year diary, among a host of other documents, the author gives us a richer account than we have yet had of JQA’s life—his passionate marriage to Louisa Johnson, his personal tragedies (two sons lost to alcoholism), his brilliant diplomacy, his recurring depression, his exasperating behavior—and shows us why, in the end, only Abraham Lincoln’s death evoked a great out-pouring of national sorrow in nineteenth-century America. We come to see how much Adams disliked politics and hoped for more from life than high office; how he sought distinction in literacy and scientific endeavors, and drew his greatest pleasure from being a poet, critic, translator, essayist, botanist, and professor of oratory at Harvard; how tension between the public and private Adams vexed his life; and how his frustration kept his masked and aloof (and unpopular). Nagel’s great achievement, in this first biography of America’s sixth president in a quarter century, is finally to portray Adams in all his talent and complexity.
A clever, funny, and informative look at the pets--from Calvin Coolidge's wallaby to Teddy Roosevelt's flying squirrels--that have passed through the White House gates. Perfect for fans of I Am George Washington and So You Want to Be President? President Truman famously said, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." And a dog is what many presidents got. From James Garfield to Calvin Coolidge to Richard Nixon, presidents often found a friend in Fido (in fact, Abe Lincoln's pup was actually named Fido). Others preferred cats, horses, small critters, or even big, ferocious animals like bears and alligators. With a catchy refrain ("If you want a friend in Washington . . . , "), this is a funny, educational book about the animals that have passed through the White House. Whether it's favorite dogs like Barbara Bush's Millie or the Obamas' Bo; Abraham Lincoln's cat, Dixie; Calvin Coolidge's hippo, Billy; or Andrew Jackson's foul-mouthed parrot, Poll, Erin McGill brings to life a menagerie of presidential pets in this entertaining, whimsical, and carefully researched picture book that's perfect for animal lovers and history buffs alike.
Alongside the politicians and dignitaries, some crazy pets have lived in the White House. From John Quincy Adams' pet alligator all the way to Bo Obama, first families have always been open to four legged friends. The Kennedy Center is creating these stories in conjuction with an educational presidential initiative they are creating which also includes plays and displays at their headquarters in Washington DC.
What makes this book worth reprinting is not the canine dogs described in this book but the human female kinds of dogs, the women who slept with the presidents who were not necessarily the wives. This book, nearly forgotten, was the first to reveal numerous presidential affairs. It was the first to report that President Kennedy had an insatiable appetite for women, the human kind. It was the original source for a story that has been repeated many times since. This story is found on page 38 of this book. The story goes: Jacqueline was in the presidential bed in the White House bedroom, when she discovered a woman's panties in between the sheets. She held up the panties she had found with two fingers in much the same way that she would hold up a dead mouse and she said to the president, "Would you please find out whose these are, because they are not my size?" It is a fact that every president in more than one hundred years has had a dog, with the exception of President Clinton, who had a cat, although even Clinton did finally get a dog near the end of his term. Not all of these presidents were dog lovers. In some cases, the President obviously got a dog just to get the Dog Lover's Vote. President Obama must have read this book, because when he was elected to office, he knew that the first thing he had to do was get a dog. This book starts with the punch line to a joke: "This book is dedicated to man's best friend - women."
