Lincoln's Dog Fido

[L Verge]

I can't believe I'm right! I was once asked the same question about what the name Fido meant, and I said that I could only guess that it was a derivative of a Latin word meaning fidelity. Thank you, Linda. It has taken about twenty years to learn that I did know how to conjugate verbs...

I also think that the Lincolns were very mean to leave Fido behind. I have had dogs all my life, and they grow just as attached to humans as we do to them. My grandson's puggle has a fit if Aaron even walks out the door without him. You should see his reaction when Aaron hops out the car to run into a store without him. The bond between a boy and his dog is wonderous. Fido must have wandered the streets looking for his boys.

[LincolnMan]

(03-20-2013 11:09 AM)Liz Rosenthal Wrote:  I have what may be a very stupid, silly or inconsequential question.

Is it possible - does anyone think - that the dog-name "Fido" became fashionable as a result of the Lincolns' dog being named Fido? I always wondered why, in literature and conversation, even today, the dog-name Fido has appeared so often as a sort of typical name for a dog. Yet I don't think I've ever actually met a dog named Fido, or read about any other real-life Fidos, other than the Lincolns' Fido.

It seems that a number of terms and phrases uttered by Lincoln or people associated with him are still in the lexicon. It's kind of exciting to discover more examples of these, such as:

"better angels of our nature"
"lame duck session"
"It's best not to swap horses in the middle of a stream"
"hooker" (synonym for "whore," supposedly after General Joe Hooker)

So what about "Fido"? Can this name be added to the list?

Including the word "Michigander"-which was coined by Lincoln.

[Liz Rosenthal]

So I was right! The dog-name Fido *did* originate with Lincoln! Just as I thought, the psychologist who wrote the article said that "Fido" is a generic dog-name even though no one names his or her dog Fido.

I'm very excited by this.

I'm also excited by Bill's revelation that Lincoln coined the term "Michigander." I love it!

(03-20-2013 03:19 PM)Linda Anderson Wrote:  

(03-20-2013 11:09 AM)Liz Rosenthal Wrote:  I have what may be a very stupid, silly or inconsequential question.

So what about "Fido"? Can this name be added to the list?

Liz, I don't think that it's a silly question at all. Psychology Today has an article on Fido in which Mary is blamed for Fido being left behind.

"Why Are Dogs So Frequently Called 'Fido'"?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cani...alled-fido

[Hess1865]

I think the word 'Fido' has a connection to a Latin word meaning 'friend'.
The last time I read any Latin was in high school, about 45 years ago!!
So I think it would be safe to say the word was used many years before Lincoln used it as a name for the family hound.

[Donna McCreary]

A favorite children's book of 1845 about a dog was called "Fido or the Faithful Friend." Perhaps this book was a favorite of the Lincoln boys.

[LincolnMan]

(03-20-2013 05:30 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I can't believe I'm right! I was once asked the same question about what the name Fido meant, and I said that I could only guess that it was a derivative of a Latin word meaning fidelity. Thank you, Linda. It has taken about twenty years to learn that I did know how to conjugate verbs...

I also think that the Lincolns were very mean to leave Fido behind. I have had dogs all my life, and they grow just as attached to humans as we do to them. My grandson's puggle has a fit if Aaron even walks out the door without him. You should see his reaction when Aaron hops out the car to run into a store without him. The bond between a boy and his dog is wonderous. Fido must have wandered the streets looking for his boys.

Since it has been acknowledged by so many that Lincoln loved animals, I wonder what the thinking was that resulted in leaving Fido behind.

[RJNorton]

(03-21-2013 07:48 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Since it has been acknowledged by so many that Lincoln loved animals, I wonder what the thinking was that resulted in leaving Fido behind.

Bill, the most detailed article I have seen on this is the one by Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt in the February 15, 1954, issue of Life magazine. I'll try to sum up briefly. Apparently Fido's behavior began to change after the May 18 nomination of Lincoln by the Republican Party. Suddenly there was a lot more noise and activity in Springfield including lots of new visitors and well-wishers to the Lincoln home. The was a big change for Fido. The author describes how Fido would hide under the sofa trembling as if a thunderstorm were hitting.

After the November election I am guessing that Fido's skittishness made Lincoln wonder how the dog would handle the change in lifestyle that would naturally occur with the move to the Executive Mansion. Yes, the train ride was a factor, but I think Lincoln also worried that all the activity, new faces, etc. in the White House would frighten Fido.

This had to be one tough decision. Dorothy Kunhardt describes how Tad pleaded, "I could take care of him, Pa." In other books, I have read that Willie joined Tad in the fervent request to take Fido to Washington.

The author does not say Mary was involved in the final decision; she says it was Abe's decision to leave Fido behind with another family (the Roll family). Like Gene, the quote from Mary in the article Linda found was new to me. I have written the author seeking his source; if he responds, I will post his source.

[Laurie Verge]

This has nothing to do with Fido, but I just want to comment on the word "hooker." It is a misconception that the word comes from Gen. Hooker's seady division post in the red-light district ("The Island") in Washington, D.C.

I once received a call from the Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, which owns Surratt House. He had a bet going with a government official about where the word originated. He thought it dated back before the Civil War - and he was right.

The earliest record that I could find dated to the Dutch owning New Amsterdam (New York City). There was a section of the town that attracted soiled doves. It appears that it was pretty much where the Battery is today - which would make sense with sailors being ready customers. That section was known as the Hooek (I hope I spelled that right).

That research was about thirty years ago, so new findings may have turned up something else.

[LincolnMan]

(03-21-2013 08:24 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(03-21-2013 07:48 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Since it has been acknowledged by so many that Lincoln loved animals, I wonder what the thinking was that resulted in leaving Fido behind.

Bill, the most detailed article I have seen on this is the one by Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt in the February 15, 1954, issue of Life magazine. I'll try to sum up briefly. Apparently Fido's behavior began to change after the May 18 nomination of Lincoln by the Republican Party. Suddenly there was a lot more noise and activity in Springfield including lots of new visitors and well-wishers to the Lincoln home. The was a big change for Fido. The author describes how Fido would hide under the sofa trembling as if a thunderstorm were hitting.

After the November election I am guessing that Fido's skittishness made Lincoln wonder how the dog would handle the change in lifestyle that would naturally occur with the move to the Executive Mansion. Yes, the train ride was a factor, but I think Lincoln also worried that all the activity, new faces, etc. in the White House would frighten Fido.

This had to be one tough decision. Dorothy Kunhardt describes how Tad pleaded, "I could take care of him, Pa." In other books, I have read that Willie joined Tad in the fervent request to take Fido to Washington.

The author does not say Mary was involved in the final decision; she says it was Abe's decision to leave Fido behind with another family (the Roll family). Like Gene, the quote from Mary in the article Linda found was new to me. I have written the author seeking his source; if he responds, I will post his source.

That's a wonderful story! Thanks Roger.

[Liz Rosenthal]

(03-20-2013 09:43 PM)Donna McCreary Wrote:  A favorite children's book of 1845 about a dog was called "Fido or the Faithful Friend." Perhaps this book was a favorite of the Lincoln boys.

Even if Lincoln didn't think of the name "Fido" himself, it's still possible that the fact that his family had a dog named Fido gave it a big push toward Dog-Name Domination. Then again, maybe not. But it seems very plausible to me.

In retrospect, leaving Fido behind with the Rolls was a very wise decision. The Lincolns took a long and circuitous route to Washington in February 1861. Each time they stopped at a city where Lincoln would be received by local dignitaries and he would be obliged to make a speech or participate in a local event, pandemonium ensued. It was very difficult, sometimes, for the President-Elect himself to avoid being crushed. And this could go on for hours-- outside on the street, inside the hotel where they were staying, etc. In those days, they seem to have had little knowledge of crowd control. Fido would not only have been frightened, but could have been physically harmed or gotten completely lost.

I've read that the Roll family, which took in Fido, was already well-acquainted with him, and vice versa. So it's not like Fido was left with strangers.

Laurie: "Soiled doves"? Is that a euphemism for prostitute? Or did you literally mean dirty birds? (If the latter, it's worth noting that birds are actually very clean and spend a large portion of every day grooming themselves. )

[Gene C]

(03-21-2013 10:21 AM)Liz Rosenthal Wrote:  ....it's worth noting that birds are actually very clean ...

Hey, Liz, I agree with almost everything you wrote except this last part. My car is proof.

[DanielC]

Fido was your assassins name ever revealed?

[Gene C]

I never found out.

[Liz Rosenthal]

(03-21-2013 10:49 AM)Gene C Wrote:  

(03-21-2013 10:21 AM)Liz Rosenthal Wrote:  ....it's worth noting that birds are actually very clean ...

Hey, Liz, I agree with almost everything you wrote except this last part. My car is proof.

Well, just because doves, pigeons and other birds poop on your car is no reason to assume that they are not themselves clean. I mean, pooping is also a part of the human condition, even for the most well-scrubbed individuals!

[Laurie Verge]

Liz,

Soiled Doves is one of the euphemisms used "politely" to identify prostitutes during the Victorian Age.