Poll (parrot)
Species | African grey |
---|---|
Known for | Shouting profanities at Andrew Jackson's funeral |
Poll, nicknamed Polly, was a pet African grey parrot originally owned by Rachel Jackson but adopted after her death by her husband, U.S. president Andrew Jackson. It is commonly reported that she had to be removed from his 1845 funeral after causing a disturbance with foul language.
Life
[edit]![A colored lithograph from 1845 depicting Andrew Jackson dying in bed, surrounded by family members](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/The_death_of_President_Andrew_Jackson_in_Washington%2C_1845._C_Wellcome_V0006888.jpg/220px-The_death_of_President_Andrew_Jackson_in_Washington%2C_1845._C_Wellcome_V0006888.jpg)
Poll, nicknamed Polly,[1] was purchased by Andrew Jackson for his wife for $25 (equivalent to $673 in 2023) in 1827, but she died a year later in 1828. Jackson loved Poll dearly, and often wrote letters to his nephew, William Donelson, asking about the bird's health; Donelson took care of Poll while Jackson could not. In his letters, Donelson described Poll as "fat and saucy" and predicted that she would "live to be an old Bird". Poll appeared less frequently in Jackson's letters after 1837, due in part to Jackson living with the bird at that point and no longer enquiring about her health. It is commonly reported that Poll learned to shout profanities by listening to Jackson.[2]
At Jackson's funeral on June 10, 1845,[3] Poll is said to have repeatedly cursed loudly, disturbing thousands of guests[4][5] including Jackson's slaves, who were reported to have been "horrified and awed" by the parrot's "lack of reverence".[6] Poll is then said to have been removed from the house.[5][7] Reverend William Menefee Norment, who attended Jackson's funeral, recollected that Poll "got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house".[8][6][9] However, Snopes notes that this anecdote only arose decades after the funeral took place and that no other eyewitness accounts of the alleged event exist[2] and the Professor of history Dan Feller at the University of Tennessee stated that the story is "uncontroverted but also unauthenticated".[2] The exact words spoken by Poll at the event are unknown.[9] After Jackson's death, Poll was likely cared for by Jackson's remaining family at the Hermitage. The last known reference to Poll was in an 1850 letter written by Jackson's adoptive grandchildren.[2]
See also
[edit]- Talking bird – Bird that can mimic human speech
- United States presidential pets
- List of individual birds
References
[edit]- ^ "A Brief History of President-Bird Companionship | Audubon". www.audubon.org. February 12, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Ibrahim, Nur (April 26, 2024). "Andrew Jackson's Parrot Kicked Out of His Funeral for Swearing?". Snopes. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Today in History, June 10, 1845: Andrew Jackson's parrot removed from his funeral for swearing". The Enquirer. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Meyer, Holly. "Andrew Jackson's funeral drew thousands, 1 swearing parrot". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Wootson, Cleve Jr. (January 12, 2018). "A history of White House profanity — and one cursing presidential parrot". Washington Post.
- ^ a b Cheathem, Mark R. (April 16, 2012). "Andrew Jackson's Profane Parrot". Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "The Tennessee Conservationist Jan/Feb 2020: Two Presidential Birds That Made a Lasting Impression". The Tennessee Conservationist. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Weaver, Samantha. "Strange But True: Andrew Jackson and the cursing parrot". Naples Daily News. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Polly Want a WHAT?! Andrew Jackson's Pet Parrot". Presidential Pet Museum. March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2024.