7. Andrew Jackson’s character was reflected in the animals he kept
President Jackson kept a parrot, which he taught to swear so well that it often had to be removed from the room when ladies were present, to Jackson’s amusement. At Jackson’s funeral the bird swore so continuously and loudly it was carried out, according to the letters of several attendees. Jackson also kept another type of bird, both at the White House and his Tennessee home, The Hermitage. Those were fighting cocks, used for cockfighting, an entertainment and gambling activity in which Jackson indulged throughout his adult life. Jackson raised and gambled on his birds while president, and retained a handler for them among his servants.
