Spot of Parchment, April 2019 - Grace Coolidge’s Portrait
She also broke social norms. She had a bachelor’s degree and was a teacher at a school for deaf children before marrying Calvin Coolidge. But one of the most unusual things she did related to her soft spot for animals. In 1926, a supporter gave the Coolidges a raccoon for Thanksgiving dinner. Grace decided to keep the raccoon as a pet and named her Rebecca. Rebecca lived at the White House, in the Octagon House, for a short time in Rock Creek Zoo when she couldn’t mind her manners, and vacationed in the Black Hills of South Dakota with the first family. Rebecca also played a star roll in the Easter Egg Roll on April 18, 1927.
All images credited to the White House Historical Association/White House Collection.