THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND THE PONY ALGONQUIAN

Six children and enough pets to fill a zoo is what Theodore Roosevelt had,. not to mention the many animals gifted to the president, that ended up at the National Zoo. Bleistein was President Roosevelt's favorite horse: He had horses for all the children. They were called, Renown, Roswell, Rusty, Jocko, Root, Grey, Dawn, Wyoming, and Yangenka. General and Judge, were carriage horses, Algonquian, was Archie Roosevelt's Icelandic, calico pony and Pete, a bull terrier was a favorite pet. There was also Sailor Boy, a Chesapeake Retriever. Jack, Kermit Roosevelt's favorite pet was a rat terrier, and Skip was a mongrel. Manchu was Alice Roosevelt's spaniel, and she had a green snake called Emily Spinach. Quentin Roosevelt also had some snakes some of which he unloaded on top of his father’s desk during a meeting with important people. Everyone scattered as the snakes slithered away and it became a very newsworthy item. Eli Yale was a Macaw belonging to Quentin Roosevelt, and Tom Quartz and Slippers were cats. Josiah was their well known badger, Dewey Senior, Dewey Junior, Bob Evans, Bishop Doan, and Father O'Grady, were all guinea pigs. The list probably goes on further and the Roosevelt’s can be said as having contributed the most animals to the Zoo in the history of the White House, but the Coolidge’s can claim a close second and the Kennedy’s were also high on the list of White House Pets owners. A rather famous “pet” story about Theodore Roosevelt’s White House is one that describes Quentin Roosevelt taking Algonquian, the pony up in the White House elevator to see his brother Archie who was sick in bed on the second floor. Once in the elevator they had a time trying to get the pony out and it made the news, made the public laugh and the President mad.