Mice to Meet You
A forgettable president has an unforgettable friendship.
Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay. Today, we’re looking at a very unlikely human-animal friendship.
President Andrew Johnson befriended a family of mice while being impeached.
I’m giving you a peek behind the Fun Fact Friyay curtain: I wrote this one ahead of the U.S. presidential election Tuesday night.
It’s entirely possible everyone is thinking, “Cool, what’s going on this weekend?” by the time you read this, but I imagine we’ll still be talking about the various presidential, Senate, and House races and/or the fate of the country.
In anticipation of that, let’s jump back over 150 years to another president.
Andrew Johnson had a pretty tall task—he was thrown into office after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, with the U.S. still reeling from the Civil War.
Some would argue Johnson’s most memorable highlight while in office was being impeached in 1868. He tried to replace the secretary of war because he had a poor relationship with him. As a result, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to impeach Johnson for “high crimes and misdemeanors” in violating the Tenure of Office Act.
Personally, I think Johnson’s best achievement was making friends with several mice who found their way into the White House bedroom.
Johnson had some side hustles while serving as President; one was a flour and grain mill. He discovered a family of white mice in his bedroom (unclear if they were blind, like in the song) and immediately was smitten. He fed them flour and grain from his mill and water so they could stay hydrated.
Being impeached can take a toll on anyone, so Johnson found solace in playing with the mice. He called them “the little fellows” and became quite fond of his newfound friends.
Meanwhile, his daughter Martha was laying traps, dishing out poison, and bringing in cats to help get rid of rats and mice around the White House. Talk about family drama!
Thirty-five of the 54 Senators at the time voted to impeach Johnson. They needed 36 votes to reach a two-thirds majority and actually impeach him, so Johnson ultimately ended up being acquitted by a single vote.
We don’t know the fate of the mice, but for at least a little while, they got to live in the White House. That’s more than most of us can claim.