Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon’s cocker spaniel Checkers was his pet when he was vice president, so although Checkers never lived in the White House, he is perhaps the most famous of Nixon’s pets. During a televised speech in 1952, Nixon denied misusing campaign contributions but said he would take one campaign gift, and that was Checkers. The speech came to be known as the “Checkers speech,” and it was the first time a politician used TV to appeal directly to voters.

Nixon’s White House companions were Pasha, a Yorkshire terrier, Vicki, a poodle, and King Timahoe, an Irish Setter.