HPPR stumbled on an interesting artifact in The New York Times archive last week. The clipping is from 1909, and reports on a group of Comanche County Texans who captured a white possum and sent the animal to President Taft. The letter accompanying the critter read, “Understanding that you are fond of ’possum we have secured a white one, a very rare specimen, and are sending the same to you to-day by express, with compliments of your Texas friends.”
President Taft was widely known to have enjoyed eating possum. In fact, at his White House Thanksgiving dinners, Taft is known to have served a giant possum along with his turkey.
The Atlantic reportsanother story: the president was once accidentally served a still-alive possum. President Taft lamented the animal’s “reproachful look.”