Laddie Boy
 | |
| Species | Canis lupus familiaris |
|---|---|
| Breed | Airedale Terrier |
| Sex | male |
| Born | July 26, 1920 |
| Died | January 23, 1929 (aged 8) |
| Owner | Warren G. Harding |
Laddie Boy (July 26, 1920 – January 23, 1929) was an Airedale Terrier owned by US President Warren G. Harding. He was born in Toledo, Ohio. His father was Champion Tintern Tip Top.[1][2] He was presented to US President Warren G. Harding by Charles Quetschke of Caswell Kennels and became a celebrity during the Harding administration.[1]
Laddie Boy was a faithful kind of dog. When the president played golf and hit a tree, Laddie Boy would run up to the tree and get the ball. Laddie Boy had his own hand carved chair to sit in during cabinet meetings. The White House held birthday parties for the dog, invited other neighborhood dogs to join, and served them dog biscuit cake. Newspapers published mock interviews with the dog. Laddie Boy was so famous, he even had a caretaker.
He was the first "first dog" to be regularly covered in the national press.[2][3] Harding and his wife Florence shared a love of animals and the First Lady, also an advocate for the care of abused and neglected animals, soon began employing this handsome dog as a poster child for the national promotion of animal rights issues.[2]
Purportedly, the dog howled constantly the three days prior to the President's death at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, knowing of his master's imminent demise. In memory of President Harding and honoring his former employment as a paperboy, newsboys collected 19,134 pennies to be remelted and sculpted into a statue of Laddie Boy. Harding's widow died before the statue was completed in 1927 and the statue was presented to the Smithsonian Institution where it currently resides.[4][5] Harding's death and the dog were commemorated in song.[6][7]
After the president’s death in 1923, Florence Harding gave the Airedale to Harry Barker, her favorite secret service agent. She knew her poor health wouldn’t allow her to care properly for the dog. Harry took Laddie home to his family in Boston, and the dog lived a very normal life and was much loved by the Barker family. Laddie’s death in 1929 was proclaimed in newspaper headlines across the country.[8]
In the summer of 2012, Laddie Boy's collar, fashioned from Alaskan gold nuggets, was stolen from the Harding Home and Museum.[2]
See also
References
- 1 2 "The Dog Fancier". The Dog Fancier: 11. September 1922.
- 1 2 3 4 "Famous and Forgotten, Toledo’s Laddie Boy, The First Presidential Pet". August 6, 2012. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ↑ "Top Dogs: Canines in the White House" (PDF). White House Historical Association. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ↑ Tedeschi, Diane (January 22, 2009). "The White House's First Celebrity Canine". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ↑ "National Affairs: Again, Laddie Boy". TIME Magazine. August 16, 1926. Retrieved April 18, 2013.(subscription required)
- ↑ Seward, Edna Bell (poem); Seward, George M. (music), Laddie Boy, He's Gone (sheet music), Harold Rossiter Music Co/Getty Images
- ↑ "Series IV: Popular Sheet Music, L-M". Milne Special Collections. University of New Hampshire. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
- ↑ "Fact vs. Fiction". President Harding Home. President Harding Home. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laddie Boy. |
- "The White House's First Celebrity Dog" (photo gallery). Smithsonian Magazine, Library of Congress. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- Seward, Edna Bell (poem); Seward, George M. (music). "Laddie Boy, He's Gone" (sheet music). PHarold Rossiter Music Co/Getty Images. Retrieved April 18, 2013.