That Time the President Pardoned and Adopted a Pet Raccoon

Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States, may have been one of the lesser known presidents in our nation's history, but he wasn't without memorable quirks.

For Thanksgiving dinner, President Coolidge was sent a raccoon from Mississippi to be served as a meal, despite Coolidge having requested the practice of sending a Thanksgiving animal to the White House to cease.

With no interest in feasting on the raccoon, Coolidge gave the raccoon a presidential pardon and named her Rebecca. The Coolidge family would later adopt another raccoon, Ruben, to provide Rebecca company. However, Ruben ultimately ran away, leaving Rebecca alone once again. On this, First Lady Grace Coolidge, had this to say:

Rebecca had lived alone and had her own way so long that I fear she was a little overbearing and dictatorial, perhaps reminding her spouse that he was living on her bounty. Afterward, Rebecca continued to live in single blessedness.