Monday, July 17, 2017

Rebecca, the Presidential Raccoon

On Thanksgiving 1926, President Coolidge and his wife received a most unusual gift from a lady in Mississippi.

Thinking that it was a turkey for dinner, the First Lady opened the crate and found a beautiful raccoon; such animals were viewed as a southern delicacy at the time. Attached to the crate was a recipe for smoked raccoon with sweet potatoes.

The quandary was, the first couple wanted to be seen in public appreciating the gift, but did not want to eat the raccoon they fell in love with.
The day after Thanksgiving, President Coolidge spoke about the unusual gift which they could not eat because they found her to be quite charming, and asked the public to help him name her because he and the First Lady wanted to keep her as a pet and add her to the bulging menagerie of dogs, cats, and canaries.

Once named, President Coolidge made a point to stroll Rebecca, the raccoon, on a leash, for a few minutes every afternoon across the White House lawn.
Rebecca was, hands down, the most unusual pet ever at the White House.

No comments:

Post a Comment