Thanks oxcart. Churchill, too.
Posted on 01/16/2018 10:19:16 PM PST by oxcart
Andrew Jackson isn’t the only US President to keep a pet bird in the White House. Teddy Roosevelt had a one-legged rooster and James Buchanan supposedly owned two bald eagles (because America). But to our knowledge, Jackson was the only one to have a swearing parrot.
The bird’s name was Poll and was originally meant for Jackson’s wife, Rachel. But after she passed away, Jackson became the African Grey’s caretaker. So how did the parrot get a foul mouth? We can’t say for sure. But with what we know about Jackson—a man so tough and temperamental his nickname was “Old Hickory”—it’s safe to assume the bird picked up the habit straight from his owner.
On June 8, 1845, the country’s seventh Commander in Chief passed away from unknown complications. Thousands gathered to pay their respects, including Poll, who squawked, squeaked and swore like a sailor.
Volume 3 of “Andrew Jackson and Early Tennessee History” cites Reverend William Menefee Norment, who presided at Jackson’s funeral:
“Before the sermon and while the crowd was gathering, a wicked parrot that was a household pet got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house.”
Rev. Norment goes on to say the presidential parrot was “excited by the multitude and … let loose perfect gusts of ‘cuss words.’” People were “horrified and awed at the bird’s lack of reverence.”
We don’t know what happened to Poll after his indecent outbursts, but we do know that Jackson and his dirty bird mouth will forever live in infamy.
what’s that? A One-Legged Rooster?!
How does that work!!??
I guess he’s short of drum sticks.
My ex husband had an African Grey named Pedro. Smart and hilarious. They live long lives so he may still be around.
For many years, this has been one of my favorite parrot stories
The Texas quote of the day finds J. Frank Dobie recounting a cattle stampede that took place in Stephenville in the 1870s:
“In those days some of the north-bound cattle herds passed through Stephenville. It wasn’t much of a village and a few fenced-in fields made going around it inconvenient. There were six or seven log cabins, with shed rooms of rawhide lumber, strung along the trail and out away from it. The central and largest structure served as a courthouse. It had a gallery covered with boards made of pin oak. The liveliest place in town was a saloon, where, for two-bits, a purchaser could get a ‘fair-sized drink’ of wagon-yard whiskey drawn from a 50 gallon barrel. Usually a group of cowboys were congregated there, but dogs far outnumbered people in the town, and dog fights were the chief entertainment. The sheriff owned a large parrot that habitually perched on the roof of the courthouse gallery. It had picked up a considerable vocabulary from the cowboys, including (naturally) profanities. Its favorite expression was “Ye-oh, sic ‘em!” which usually started a dog fight.
On this particular day a herd was stringing through town, shying but keeping the middle of the road, when the parrot flapped his wings, gave a cowboy yell, and screeched “Ye-oh, sic em!” In a second all the dogs commenced to fighting. Some charged the herd, which stampeded. The cattle knocked down all the galleries, including the one the parrot was perched on, rammed through the sheds, and even demolished some of the cabins. Stephenville looked like a tornado hit it.”
-—— J. Frank Dobie, “The Longhorns”
My husband’s parents had a set of friends with an African Grey. Every time the wife walked through the room the parrot would say “bend over Doris”. :-)
From what I understand, the bit about the bird still being alive is one of those urban myths. Sadly.
I'm sure you're familiar with Alex. He actually understood the concept of "zero", which is astounding IMO.
“From what I understand, the bit about the bird still being alive is one of those urban myths. Sadly.”
There are videos of the bird on Youtube from last summer. It is 119 years-old
Willing to admit I might be mistaken about this, but I recall looking into this a couple of years ago, and was disappointed that the bird didn't seem to exist.
[a man so tough and temperamental his nickname was “Old Hickory”]
None as mean as Martin van Buren, our eighth President. Ask the Van B. Boys. They’re as mean as he was.
A friend’s parents in high school used to go away occasionally on weekends and leave the house to him with the caveat, “no parties.”
Of course we’d have a party and come Monday morning when the mom would hear the bird cussing my friend would get busted.
Thanks oxcart. Churchill, too.
Greys are big talkers, I have always wanted one. I have budgies and a parrotlet and the most I get out of them are purrs and beeping noises.
My Macaw has quite an extensive vocabulary. I tell people it’s because the Old Man was in the service and worked as a ‘contractor’.
Still, despite his reference to sexual habits, hygiene and parentage, the ‘best’ thing he does is a perfect imitation of me 18 years ago when I took a cast iron skillet out of a hot oven and shortly (very) thereafter forgot that fact and picked it up by the handle. he also does a near perfect imitation from when the wife had a nasty, nasty cold about 20 years ago..
A friend of mine had an African Grey which could talk just as you have described. But it didn’t talk all that often even though it was real good at it.
Someone gave her another large parrot, a Salmon-crested Cockatoo named Gil. Gil liked to whistle and squawk and generally make a lot of noise. He also got on the nerves of my friend’s daughter Mary.
Whenever Gil would squawk Mary would yell “Shut Up, Gil!”. The African Grey, of course, learned to mimic Mary’s voice precisely and whenever Gil would squawk the Grey would call out “Shut up, Gil!”. Even sounded like he was angry. Wish I had that for Youtube...
Also very long-lived, and you have to make plans for birds like that - they often go into mourning and self-plucking behavior when their owners die or they are parted from them.
We had a parakeet that would talk all the time! He used to call the dog, who would obediently trot into the room where the bird was.... wondering why he was called.
When the mood hit ‘im, he’d hop right to it!
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