Theodore Roosevelt had a bear as a pet

Our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt, began his Presidency in 1901, along with six children and more animals than the White House had ever seen. The Roosevelt children's family of pets included a small bear named Jonathan Edwards; a lizard named Bill; guinea pigs named Admiral Dewey, Dr. Johnson, Bishop Doane, Fighting Bob Evans, and Father O'Grady; Maude the pig; Josiah the badger; Eli Yale the blue macaw; Baron Spreckle the hen; a one-legged rooster; a hyena; a barn owl; Peter the rabbit; and Algonquin the pony. President Roosevelt loved the pets as much as his children did. Algonquin was so beloved that when the President's son Archie was sick in bed, his brothers Kermit and Quentin brought the pony up to his room in the elevator. But Algonquin was so captivated by his own reflection in the elevator mirror that it was hard to get him out!

More Info: clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov

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36 Comments

Tom Sonny Gough

And thats where the term Teddy Bear came from. True story

cgrhm

Tom Sonny Gough, actually, he was on a hunting trip and came upon a mom bear and her pups. He couldn't shoot them. Those who owned the general store in town heard about it and named the stuffed toy bears in their store "teddy" bears in honor of him.

wordster

He did shoot a grizzly bear on a hunting trip out west and had it stuffed and mounted in the White House. Not a pet, but an object of respect in his eyes.

Dianna Hattori

Yes, an animal lover, but wasn’t he also known for trophy and big game hunting.

Shirley Campbell

I love animals too. I think they are a study in human behavior.

dsneed

tesla alset, 👍

dsneed

I tapped True and it came up False. Not fair. Game did not jump just gave a false response. I have ben playing long enough to know to press True.

Patty K

Check wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-did-the-teddy-bear-get-its-name

Patty K

Tom Sonny Gough, not so. Teddy Roosevelt was a big game hunter. He went on a hunt to find a bear tied to a tree. The men who took him hunting wanted to give him an easy target. He untied and released the bear, refusing to kill a captured animal. This earned him respect, and some women who made stuffed animals named a bear after him. Thus, the teddy bear.