President Lincoln had cats in the White House

[David Lockmiller]

Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of state, William H. Seward, gave him two cats, Tabby and Dixie, said Andrew Hager, historian-in-residence at the Presidential Pet Museum. Lincoln was a major “cat fan,” Mr. Hager said, and the president often fed Tabby from the dinner table despite his wife’s criticism.

“At one point, he told a friend that Dixie was ‘smarter than his entire cabinet’ and ‘didn’t talk back, which was a bonus,’” Mr. Hager said.

(Source: A Cat Is Said to Be Joining the Bidens in the White House, New York Times, November 28, 2020.)

[Mylye2222]

Already knew that fact. Cute history!

[David Lockmiller]

(11-30-2020 03:48 PM)Mylye2222 Wrote:  Already knew that fact. Cute history!

How did you know that fact?

I tried to find out the source of the statement: “At one point, he told a friend that Dixie was ‘smarter than his entire cabinet’ and ‘didn’t talk back, which was a bonus,’” Mr. Hager said.

Google failed me; or, I failed Googling.

[RJNorton]

(11-30-2020 04:25 PM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  I tried to find out the source of the statement: “At one point, he told a friend that Dixie was ‘smarter than his entire cabinet’ and ‘didn’t talk back, which was a bonus,’” Mr. Hager said.

Google failed me; or, I failed Googling.

I do not think I have ever seen this quote in a reliable source. I do not think even Hertz carries it. I cannot find it in Lincoln Talks: A Biography in Anecdote. I tried to locate it in Recollected Words but failed. IMO, the quote is most likely apocryphal.

[David Lockmiller]

(11-30-2020 06:07 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(11-30-2020 04:25 PM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  I tried to find out the source of the statement: “At one point, he told a friend that Dixie was ‘smarter than his entire cabinet’ and ‘didn’t talk back, which was a bonus,’” Mr. Hager said.

Google failed me; or, I failed Googling.

I do not think I have ever seen this quote in a reliable source. I do not think even Hertz carries it. I cannot find it in Lincoln Talks: A Biography in Anecdote. I tried to locate it in Recollected Words but failed. IMO, the quote is most likely apocryphal.

Roger, you had to rub it in about my nemesis, Emanuel Hertz and Lincoln Talks: A Biography in Anecdote. I knew it wasn't there; I did not even check.

You can't even trust the New York Times, any more, as a reliable source of facts. And, please don't mention the "1619 Project" and the safe harbor (or, "harbour," if you are very British) provided by the New York Times for this intellectual crime.

I agree with you that "the quote is most likely apocryphal."

But there is one more source to try.

I just sent the following email addressed to the "historian@presidentialpetmuseum.com"

Mr. Andrew Hager,

“At one point, he told a friend that Dixie was ‘smarter than his entire cabinet’ and ‘didn’t talk back, which was a bonus,’” Mr. Hager said.

Can you please inform me of the source of your quote? I cannot find the source by the means of Google.

Yours truly,
David Lockmiller