A Presidential Pony Braved An Elevator To Visit His Sick Rider On The White House's Second Floor

Dogs have long walked the halls of the White House, along with a host of other presidential pets, such as the adorable first cat Willow Biden. One president, Theodore Roosevelt, was known for his collection of animals that filled the White House grounds, including ponies, sheep, dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, rats, snakes, and several more critters. In addition, Roosevelt's six children joined him and his wife at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW during his early 1900s presidency.

One particularly notable pet was Algonquin, a beautiful Shetland pony gifted to Roosevelt's son Archie by the Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock. Though imported from Iceland, Algonquin may have been named after a local Native American tribe, the Algonquin, meaning "they are our relatives". Archie loved Algonquin so much that they seemed inseparable, earning the adoration and attention of many White House photographers. However, when Archie came down with the measles, the two would have to be separated temporarily — or so some thought. Instead, an ingenious (or not so ingenious depending on who you asked) plan came to life.

Algonquin's adventure happened in the first half of 1903. Aged 9 at the time, Archie was bedridden with the measles. He begged his mother to visit his pony, but she denied the request, as she felt he was too weak to leave his bedroom. Instead, a plan to bring Algonquin to Archie was devised. It's somewhat unknown whether the idea was hatched by White House footman Charles Reeder or Archie's brothers, Kermit and Quentin, however, the two (or three) worked together to bring Algonquin up to the building's second floor.

Algonquin made the trip in the elevator, initially shivering and nervous, until he got his bearings. He was also reportedly enraptured by his reflection in the elevator's mirror — momentarily refusing to leave upon spotting himself. Once he arrived in the bedroom, Archie was ecstatic to see him. This spurred many fun stories and even artwork about the event, as well as deepening Archie and Algonquin's bond. When the pair traveled to their summer home, a local Washington, D.C. columnist wondered if Algonquin would be allowed to ride in the train car beside Archie. The pony was certainly a presidential pet with some special privileges.