3. Grace Coolidge kept a pet raccoon which had been intended to be served for dinner
In 1926, a raccoon was delivered to the White House from Mississippi to be presented to the President and his guests as part of Thanksgiving Dinner. Being from Vermont, the Coolidge family was more inclined to consume a traditional New England Thanksgiving meal, and the raccoon was destined for release before the First Lady intervened. An animal lover with a menagerie of pets, Grace Coolidge decided that the raccoon would join her collection. She named the female raccoon Rebecca. The President decided that the animal would live outside of the house, and a home was built for her in a tree on the grounds, protected with a chicken wire fence.
When the Coolidge family vacationed, Rebecca accompanied them. The White House police captured a male raccoon to keep Rebecca company, which Grace named Reuben. Reuben either didn’t like Rebecca or the White House diet (mostly shrimp and eggs) and frequently ran off, though he was recaptured several times. Eventually, he made good his escape. Rebecca remained at the White House until the end of the Coolidge Administration when she was allowed to retire to Rock Creek Park rather than accompany her previous masters to Vermont. Other animals of Mrs. Coolidge’s menagerie, including a pygmy hippo, were donated to the National Zoo.