Presidential pets, bonus edition: In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge received a raccoon from the town of Peru, Mississippi. Meant to be eaten as part of the White House Thanksgiving feast, the president and his wife, Grace, took a liking to the animal and decided to keep it as a pet. Coolidge named the raccoon Rebecca and was often seen sitting in the Oval Office with his unusual pet draped around his neck. Worried about her safety after an escape, the President and Mrs. Coolidge sent Rebecca to live at the National Zoo, where they successfully petitioned zookeepers to acquire a mate for her. For more on political leaders and their four-legged friends, see Politics, the latest issue of Lapham’s Quarterly. Pictured: First Lady Grace Coolidge and Rebecca the raccoon.

Presidential pets, bonus edition:

In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge received a raccoon from the town of Peru, Mississippi. Meant to be eaten as part of the White House Thanksgiving feast, the president and his wife, Grace, took a liking to the animal and decided to keep it as a pet. Coolidge named the raccoon Rebecca and was often seen sitting in the Oval Office with his unusual pet draped around his neck.

Worried about her safety after an escape, the President and Mrs. Coolidge sent Rebecca to live at the National Zoo, where they successfully petitioned zookeepers to acquire a mate for her.

For more on political leaders and their four-legged friends, see Politics, the latest issue of Lapham’s Quarterly.

Pictured: First Lady Grace Coolidge and Rebecca the raccoon.