Laddie Boy: Most Popular Presidential Pet Ever!

Laddie Boy approves his official portrait.

Laddie Boy was President Warren G. Harding's Airedale, and according to The Smithsonian, the most popular presidential pet ever.  I can't believe I never heard of him.

Diane Tedeschi writes:

Though there were many presidential pets before him, Laddie Boy was the first to receive regular coverage from newspaper reporters. "While no one remembers him today, Laddie Boy's contemporary fame puts Roosevelt's Fala, LBJ's beagles and Barney Bush in the shade," says Tom Crouch, a Smithsonian Institution historian. "That dog got a huge amount of attention in the press. There have been famous dogs since, but never anything like this."

During their time in the White House, from 1921 to 1923, the Hardings included their dog in almost every aspect of their daily lives. When Harding golfed with friends, Laddie Boy tagged along. During cabinet meetings, the dog sat in (perched on his own chair). At fundraising events, the first lady frequently had Laddie Boy make appearances. The dog was such a prominent White House personality that the Washington Star and the New York Times seemed to run stories about the terrier almost daily in the months after Harding took office.  (full article)

Laddie Boy greets President Harding upon his arrival home from a trip.





Laddie Boy with his birthday cake made of dog biscuits.

Laddie Boy with White House kennel master Wilson Jackson.

Laddie Boy presides over the annual Easter Egg Roll in 1923.

 

Laddie Boy gazing through the White House window.  The next day President Harding died in San Francisco.

Life-size sculpture of Laddie Boy at the Smithsonian by sculptress Bashka Paeff, made from more than 19,000 pennies donated by newsboys.

All photos courtesy of the Library of Congress.  See more at the Smithsonian. 

Via No Quarter.