Articles in Famous Felines are written by Patrick Roberts Copyright © 2003-08 Purr 'n' Fur UK Certain features on these pages use JavaScript

[ Home | Famous | Featuring | Fabled | Folios | Fun | Philately | Fragments | Flotsam ]

Socks Clinton
and other presidential felines

Left-click thumbnails for enlargements (JavaScript needs to be enabled),
but please allow all images to load before doing so, or some may not display
(if this happens, use Refresh from your toolbar to reload the page)

When Bill and Hillary Clinton moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, on 20 January 1993, it took a few days before their black-and-white cat Socks came to join them; he had to endure a two-day car trip from Little Rock, Arkansas — but at least that gave time for his bed and litter-box to be made ready for him. There had not been a cat in the White House since Amy Carter's Siamese 'Misty Malarky Ying Yang', and Socks was only the fourth cat there since Franklin Roosevelt took office in 1933 — but he wasted no time in imposing his personality on the place. And it was not long at all before he became something of an internationally known celebrity.

Before Socks . . .

However, there had been presidential felines in the past, long before the White House became the official residence, so before telling Socks' story we'll give them a mention.

As far back as Martha Washington's time, she kept cats at Mount Vernon — and even had a special door put in for them to come and go (the precursor of the cat-flap?) The youngest son of Abraham Lincoln — Tad, who lived to be only 18 (1853-71) — had a pet called Tabby; the great man himself is said to have liked cats. Rutherford Hayes, nineteenth President (from 1877 to 1881), had a Siamese kitten that was actually the first of the breed to be brought into the United States — a gift from the US consul in Bangkok to Hayes' wife Lucy. William McKinley (president from 1897 to 1901, when he was assassinated) had an Angora cat.

Theodore Roosevelt, president for two terms from 1901 until 1909, was very fond of both cats and dogs. He had two cats, a six-toed (polydactyl) grey called Slippers, and a feisty kitten known as Tom Quartz. A letter exists, dated January 1903, from Roosevelt to his son Kermit in which he describes some of the kitten's antics: 'Tom Quartz is certainly the cunningest kitten I have ever seen . . . an exceedingly playful little creature.' He goes on to describe how Tom had 'ambushed' Jack, the long-suffering dog. As for Slippers, she, as is the way of her kind, wasn't going to move from the spot she had chosen, even for the President of the USA! The story is told of an evening when Roosevelt, after a formal dinner, was leading an ambassador's wife out of the dining room towards the East Room, when they encountered Slippers, stretched out across the centre of the hallway. Instead of holding everyone up by waiting for the cat to move, or be moved, the President led the woman around the purring feline — and all the dignitaries behind were obliged to follow suit!

Woodrow Wilson, in office from 1913 to 1921 (including WW1), had a cat. Calvin Coolidge (president from 1923 to 1929) did not have a cat, but he had a pet canary. The bird is said to have 'fallen in love' with a cat named 'Timmie', belonging to Washington journalist Bascon Timmons; Coolidge ended up giving the bird to Timmons. (I haven't been able to establish whether this story had a happy ending or not!)  President Eisenhower apparently loathed cats, to the extent of issuing an order to his staff that any found around the White House were to be shot!

Later on, Caroline Kennedy and John-John had Tom Kitten, who adored their father, JFK; unfortunately, though, the President proved to have an allergy to cats, and so Tom had to be found another good home. Nevertheless, when he died, the cat merited an obituary in one of the Washington-area newspapers. 'Unlike many humans in the same position', wrote the paper, 'he never wrote his memoirs of his days in the White House and never discussed them for quotation, though he was privy to many official secrets.' Susan Ford (Gerald Ford's daughter; he was president from 1974 to 1977) had a Siamese called Chan in the White House (near right). Ford was followed in 1977 by Jimmy Carter's administration and, as mentioned before, daughter Amy's Misty Malarky Ying Yang (far right) took over from Chan.

Ronald Reagan was very fond of the animals and had several, although it seems likely they were at his ranch and not in Washington. We know the name of one only, a stray tortoiseshell female he took in and named Sara.

And so to Socks . . .

Socks joined the Clinton family in March 1991, when Bill was Governor of Arkansas; the much-loved family cocker spaniel Zeke had been run over the previous autumn, and it was not planned to get another dog for a while. However, one day the following spring when Chelsea went for a piano lesson, there were two little kittens playing in her teacher's garden. The teacher had been trying to trace their mother, without success; but when returning to the car after the lesson Chelsea reached out to greet the kittens — whereupon the little black-and-white one promptly jumped up into her arms. Thus Socks became a member of the family: and a good home was also found for his sibling, 'Midnight'. Their exact birth date is unknown, although it must have been sometime late in 1990.

Socks soon made himself at home at the Governor's mansion and proved to be a great explorer. When Bill made his successful bid for the Presidency in 1992, it was decided that the cat should accompany the family to the White House — and so he became the 'First Cat-elect'. One day in November 1992, leaving the mansion for his usual rounds, a crowd of press photographers lured him into range with some catnip, and so he got his first picture in the papers.

It was also decided that, for his own safety, it would be better if Socks was not left to roam free over all 18 acres of White House grounds, doubtless to return with 'trophies'; there was only an iron fence as boundary in parts, which he would have been easily able to slip through into traffic and crowds. He was therefore, somewhat reluctantly, confined to a long leash on the South Lawn when he was outside. However, this did not prevent him from following with interest the comings and goings of squirrels, birds and other wildlife in his territory; and for some months he also had a stray tabby cat as a friend — dubbed 'Slippers', she shared his food and water during her visits.

Socks' favourite outdoor spots included the garden outside the Oval Office, under one of the commemorative trees, when it was sunny; in summer, as it became very hot and humid, he took refuge in the thick hedge near the swimming pool. In cold or rainy weather he retreated indoors and although, understandably, he did not have the free run of the White House either, he naturally had his favourite spots. The Visitors' Office in the East Wing was one, where high-backed chairs provided a good vantage point to view goings-on, but also there he had a fantastic three-storey cat house, handmade by a Florida fan, into which he could retreat to 'get away from it all'.

A wing chair in the receiving room in the West Wing, just outside the Oval Office, was a favoured spot for a catnap. And his permanent bed was in the engineers' room, where there was always someone around if he wanted company. But judging from the photographs accompanying this article, Socks made his presence felt in various areas and had many friends among the President's staff, so there were plenty of people willing to care for him when duties took the Clintons away from home. He also appears to be a cat of great character!

He didn't appear to be particularly keen on publicity — but of course he got plenty! He was quite often taken round on visits to children, or senior citizens, in the local hospitals, orphanages and nursing homes, and seemed to be happy to oblige; he would sit on Hillary's lap and purr, enjoying the attention. For these visits he travelled in his own smart carrying basket, complete with Presidential seal; he has travelled in a limo and in several motorcades. And during the Clinton administration, it was a cartoon 'Socks' that guided children around the White House website.

Socks himself was featured on a great sheetlet of 9 stamps issued by the Central African Republic in 1996 (see right).

Both he and, later, the dog (see below) received huge amounts of fan mail, especially from children, and special efforts were made to answer them all. To the left is an example of the card that was sent to children who wrote to Socks. The retired service personnel who live at the US Soldiers' and Airmens' Home in Washington helped out a lot with dealing with all the mail and replying to it; sometimes Socks would visit them to express his appreciation!

But his pleasant lifestyle was to be upset. When Chelsea Clinton went to college at Stanford, in California, and Bill had been elected President for a second term, the family decided to get another dog. Chelsea wanted a small one she could pick up and carry, but Bill said he would like a big one that he could run with. It was felt a Labrador would be suitable in size and temperament: and so, at about 3 months old, 'Buddy' erupted onto the White House scene, in December 1995. He and Bill hit it off straight away; but unfortunately, no one had consulted Socks . . .

In Hillary Clinton's words, Socks 'despised Buddy from first sight, instantly and forever'. He had had all the family attention for some years and found the dog's presence hard to deal with. He refused point-blank to be friends with this boisterous and intrusive canine, despite everyone's best efforts. If they were left together, Socks would be found hissing, fluffed up and with back arched, while Buddy tried to chase him under the sofa. Although the cat had clipped claws, he never lost an opportunity to take a swipe at the dog.

When Bill Clinton's second presidential term was coming to a close early in 2001, Socks' future had to be considered; relations with Buddy had not improved. Several options were thought about, including keeping him in Hillary's new Senate office, or having him in the new Clinton residence in Georgetown while Buddy stayed at the Chappaqua house. In the end, though, it was thought best that he should be given to Betty Currie, Mr Clinton's former personal secretary and one of Socks' staunchest friends, who has now retired.

In mid-2006 Socks was in good health and still living with Betty and her husband in Hollywood, southern Maryland, about 80 miles (130 km) from Washington. In October 2004 he made a now-rare public appearance when Betty was guest speaker at an Officers' Spouses Club luncheon at Andrews Air Force Base. Socks accompanied her and took part in the 'photo op.' (left)

Meanwhile it's good to know that the Clinton Press Office in New York still keeps a dedicated telephone extension for enquiries about Socks!

Latest news:
We're very pleased to say that as of June 2008 Socks continues to enjoy a relaxed retirement in Maryland with his best friend Betty Currie and her husband — although he does still make the occasional public appearance. However, his age is starting to show (he is almost 19 years old) and he has some health-related issues. There is an excellent article about him, with photos, at Southern Maryland Newspapers Online.

More pictures of Socks
(left-click for enlargements if you have JavaScript enabled)

Footnotes:
Not long after writing the main article, we learned that Buddy the chocolate Labrador was run over by a car and killed on 2nd January 2002, while the Clintons were on vacation in Mexico. He was apparently chasing after a contractor's van leaving the premises of the Chappaqua house and in doing so ran out into the busy road that passes the cul-de-sac where the house is located. He was only 4½, and it must have been very upsetting for his owners, particularly as their earlier dog Zeke died in the same way (see above). One website we visited remarked that 'Socks did not attend the funeral and did not send a representative.'

Since Socks . . .

George W Bush had three cats in Texas. The favourite was Cowboy, who died of kidney failure in 2000 aged 12. The remaining two animals Bush claimed to feed himself every morning when he was governor, and said how he missed them when he was campaigning for the presidency — but still he did not bring Ernie to the White House, and gave him to a family friend. Ernie was a six-toed, ginger-and-white stray who had been rescued from a tree at the governor's Texas mansion in Austin, and was named for Ernest Hemingway who also had a six-toed cat.

The remaining feline, who is in the White House but is fairly reclusive, is an older, calmer black female called 'India' (after a former Texas Ranger baseball player nicknamed 'El Indio'; although the name has also been said to be short for 'India Ink', presumably because of her colour). She has been with the Bush family for 10 years or so and has for some reason gained the nickname 'Willie'. There are/were three Bush dogs: there is Scottie 'Barney', but English springer spaniel 'Spot' has now died. However, a further Scottie was presented to Laura Bush early in 2005 and is called Miss Beazley ('Beazley-Weazley'). Another photograph of India is available at the Presidential Pet Museum site, and the family's ornaments of all three animals are pictured here.

A 'menagerie' of former presidential pets and animals is contained in the East Room of the White House, and several are pictured in the gallery at this page.

Acknowledgements:
For this account, and many of the photographs, I have drawn heavily on information in Hillary Rodham Clinton's marvellous book, Dear Socks, dear Buddy, published in 1998 by Simon & Schuster, New York, which presents a representative sample of the children's letters that were written to the White House pets. I am indebted also to Deborah Bush, Archives Specialist of the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, for her help (and for sending some extra photos), and for advising me of Socks' whereabouts.

NB: you may also like to read about Socks' British feline counterpart,
Humphrey of Downing Street
and his present-day successor, Sybil

---

If you would like to comment please contact me,

Return to:
Famous Felines index
for more stories of famous cats

Other sections:
Featuring Felines
Fabled Felines
Feline Folios
Feline Fun
Feline Philately
Feline Fragments
Feline Flotsam

or visit the Purr 'n' Fur home page

'Catline' divider bar courtesy of CatStuff Graphics

Our featured feline at the head of the page is Simon of HMS Amethyst.
Able Seacat Simon remains the only cat ever to have been awarded the Dickin Medal for gallantry under enemy fire,
in what became known as the 'Yangtse Incident' (1949).
Read Simon's story.

Copyright © Patrick Roberts & Purr 'n' Fur UK 2003-08
All rights reserved
Images and content (whether original or used at Purr 'n' Fur with permission) may NOT be reproduced
at another website or otherwise copied or used without prior permission.
Direct linking (hotlinking) to ANY images on this site is strictly forbidden.
If you want to use something, !