Rob Roy (1922–1928) was a white male

collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many ...

owned by

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

. Coolidge's favorite pet, he was acquired by

Grace Coolidge Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an unin ...

in 1922 after she became enamored of collies, having seen one of the breed perform in a circus. He later lived with the family in the White House. Rob Roy was immortalized in a

Howard Chandler Christy Howard Chandler Christy (January 10, 1872 – March 3, 1952) was an American artist and illustrator. Famous for the "Christy Girl" – a colorful and illustrious successor to the "Gibson Girl" – Christy is also widely known for his ico ...

portrait of Grace Coolidge. He died in 1928 after a short illness.

Life and death

Rob Roy was acquired by Calvin Coolidge's wife, Grace Coolidge, in 1922 from Island White Kennels in

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh. History Oshkosh was ...

. Grace Coolidge had reportedly become enthralled by collies after seeing one of the breed perform in a circus. During the period in which the Coolidges owned Rob Roy, they also had a female collie named Prudence Prim. In 1928 Rob Roy became ill and was unsuccessfully treated at

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and ret ...

, where he died. Upon his death Coolidge wistfully remarked,

Mannerisms

Rob Roy was known as Coolidge's favorite among a menagerie of pets he kept that included dogs, birds, cats, and

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...

s. Coolidge himself described Rob Roy as a "stately gentleman of great courage and fidelity". Rob Roy was known to lead Coolidge to the

Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped room ...

each morning in a stoic manner with gaze fixed forward. Rob Roy's stately characteristics aside, Coolidge frequently tried to trick the dog into chasing animals that appeared on screen during the showing of films at 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 1800. ...

. According to

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

, Coolidge once ordered

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Morris Sheppard John Morris Sheppard (May 28, 1875April 9, 1941) was a Democratic United States Congressman and United States Senator from Texas. He authored the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) and introduced it in the Senate, and is referred to as "the fa ...

to surrender his sausage to the dog while Coolidge and Sheppard were having a late lunch.

Legacy

A portrait of Grace Coolidge by the American artist and illustrator Howard Chandler Christy, originally hung in the Red Room of the White House, shows the First Lady with Rob Roy. The dog's pose – a gaze directed toward Grace Coolidge – was achieved by feeding it candy from Coolidge's hand throughout the portrait sittings. The life-size painting is featured in the White House

China Room The China Room is one of the rooms on the Ground Floor of the White House, the home of the president of the United States. The White House's collection of state china is displayed there. The collection ranges from George Washington's Chines ...

today.

References

{{Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge 1928 animal deaths Dogs in art United States presidential dogs

Life and death

Mannerisms

Legacy

See also

References