Calvin Coolidge doesn’t exactly enjoy a historical reputation for being a freewheeling sort of guy. He was a serious president, but he did have a pet raccoon that ran around the White House knocking over plants, unscrewing jar lids, cavorting in the bathtub, and generally living la vida loca. Apparently, a few Coolidge supporters in Mississippi sent him a live raccoon in November 1926 so the first family could kill it and eat it for Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, you read that right. Fortunately for everybody involved, First Lady Grace Coolidge decided to make the raccoon a family pet instead. She named the raccoon Rebecca, and the animal quickly became a fixture at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The family built her a little house of her own, and let her roam freely on the White House property. Her adventures were routinely reported in newspapers, and she gained quite a bit of fame, making a star appearance at the 1927 Easter Egg Roll at the White House. Her favorite activity was playing in a half-filled bath with a bar of soap. When Rebecca went out on the town with the first lady, she sported bling – an embroidered collar identifying her as the “White House Raccoon.” She vacationed with the first family, escaped often, and pretty much ruled in the way she saw fit before heading off to a graceful retirement at the Rock Creek Zoo (now the National Zoo) when Coolidge left office in 1929.
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| At the Easter Egg Roll in 1927 |
