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Commanders in Chief
The origin of Presidents’ Day lies in the 1880s, when the birthday of George Washington (February 22) was first celebrated as a federal holiday. The proximity of that date to Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12)—which was celebrated in many states—led to the formation of a single holiday. While many people regard Presidents’ Day as spotlighting Washington and Lincoln only, others see it as a celebration of all U.S. presidents, whom you can discover more about below.
First Critters
Ever since Pres. John Adams, the first president to live in the White House, moved in with his mixed-breed dogs, animals have become a quirky part of the presidential family portrait. But some presidents have put their own twist on the tradition, far beyond dogs and cats.
Pres. Theodore Roosevelt brought a badger back with him from a trip to the American West. Roosevelt gave the animal to his son Archie as a gift, and the boy and his badger, named Josiah, quickly became inseparable (pictured below). In his autobiography, Roosevelt wrote that Archie “used to carry [Josiah] about, clasped firmly around what would have been his waist if he had any.…When on the ground the badger would play energetic games of tag with the little boy, and nip his bare legs.”
Another unusual sight on the White House lawn came during World War I, when Pres. Woodrow Wilson brought in a flock of as many as 48 sheep. The sheep were there to aid the war effort, since their grazing cut down on lawn labor and maintenance costs. Plus, an auction of their wool netted $53,823 for the Red Cross.
Andrew Jackson was known as the first president of the people. He was the first president born west of the Appalachian Mountains, the first born in a log cabin, and a frequent participant in duels, once even killing a man. Apparently his rough nature also extended to his language, as his parrot, Poll, developed a knack for using curse words, presumably learned from Jackson. When the former president died, the bird created such a disturbance at his funeral that it had to be removed.
Archibald B. Roosevelt with pet badger. 1903-1905 Prints and Photographs division. The Library of Congress. http://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Research/Digital-Library/Record.aspx?libID=o282111. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University., Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-USZ62-11417)
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