What’s Going On Here?

1. In 1926, this raccoon (above) was gifted to a well-known husband and wife in Washington, D.C.—to serve as their Thanksgiving dinner.

2. Like chicken and beef, raccoon meat was once a staple of American diets. People could order it in restaurants or prepare it at home using one of many cookbook recipes.

3. The couple decided to adopt the critter instead. They named the raccoon Rebecca and included her in several public celebrations at their world-famous home.

Here’s how this wild tale unfolded: In November 1926, a family in Mississippi wanted to show its gratitude for U.S. President Calvin Coolidge. The family sent him and his wife, First Lady Grace Coolidge, a raccoon that it promised would make a delicious addition to the Coolidges’ Thanksgiving meal.

But the Coolidges were animal lovers and no strangers to wild gifts. They had already been given a black bear, a wallaby (a type of kangaroo), and two lion cubs—all of which they donated to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

The Coolidges decided to keep the raccoon as a pet. They named her Rebecca, and she quickly grew to enjoy the creature comforts of the White House. She liked snacking on freshly baked muffins, taking evening walks with the president, and playing in the first lady’s bathtub with a bar of soap. Rebecca even had her own tree house!

The raccoon was also frequently included in official White House events. Grace Coolidge brought Rebecca to the 1927 Easter Egg Roll, to the delight of many guests (see photo).

Still, the raccoon caused havoc in her presidential home, knocking over plants and unscrewing jar lids. And like many undomesticated pets, she was prone to escaping. More than once, Rebecca got out of her crate on the residence floor of the White House and ran around for hours.

Rebecca lived at the White House until President Coolidge’s term ended in March 1929. Then she was sent to the National Zoo, sadly, without her own bathtub. 

—Brooke Ross