President Calvin Coolidge and his family were animal lovers, and in addition to their many dogs, cats, and exotic wildlife they also had birds. Nip and Tuck were two canaries who belonged to the Coolidge family during their time in the White House.
Nip and Tuck were the first birds to be owned by the Coolidges. Before taking on the Presidency, President Coolidge and his wife Grace moved to Washington and had to stay in a hotel while they looked for a suitable residence. Because no large animals were allowed, a friend of Grace Coolidge offered her the two olive green canaries.
Nip, Tuck and their other feathered friends were so loved by the Coolidges that they often accompanied them on vacations – even vacations some of the dogs were excluded from. In July of 1926, the Coolidges took Nip, Tuck, Prudence Prim and Rob Roy with them on their summer vacation.
At the end of President Coolidge’s term, Nip, Tuck and the other birds were not given away like so many of the canines were. At his home in Northampton, Calvin Coolidge kept the birds in his office in window cages.