Dick the Mockingbird was the name of one of

U.S. president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

's pet birds. Although there had been previous presidential pets, Jefferson is thought to be "the first president to have a pet hat livedin the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

..." Prior to his term in the Oval Office, Jefferson bought his first

mockingbird Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. ...

in November 1772 from a slave of his father-in-law

John Wayles John Wayles (January 31, 1715 – May 28, 1773) was a colonial American planter, slave trader and lawyer in colonial Virginia. He is historically best known as the father-in-law of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. ...

for five shillings. Birds were Jefferson's favorite animal and Dick was the favorite from among at least four mockingbirds the president had while in office. During his time in the White House, Jefferson wrote observations on the types of birds that he spotted in the area. In May 1793, in response to a letter from his son-in-law

Thomas Mann Randolph Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. (October 1, 1768 – June 20, 1828) was an American planter, soldier, and politician from Virginia. He served as a member of both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, a representative in the United States Congress, a ...

, Jefferson wrote: "I sincerely congratulate you on the arrival of the mockingbird. Teach all the children to venerate it as a superior being which will haunt them if any harm is done to itself or its eggs.""For the Birds." ''Saturday Evening Post'' 279.3 (2007): 54–59. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 3 March 2010.

As a pet

Jefferson was noted to have kept Dick's cage in a special area in his study among plants on a windowsill where he would often leave the cage open allowing him free range of the room. The mockingbird was known to perch on Jefferson's couch and sing him to sleep after following him step-by-step up the stairs. Dick liked to sit on Jefferson's shoulder as he worked at his desk in the study. Jefferson had even trained the bird to swoop down and take food from between his lips. When Jefferson started playing his violin, Dick would "pour out his song along with the violin," as in a duet. An acquaintance of Jefferson wrote, "How he loved the bird! He could not live without something to love… his bird and his flowers became the objects of his tender care."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dick The Mockingbird Individual songbirds Presidency of Thomas Jefferson United States presidential pets

As a pet

See also

References