FDR with Fala at Warm Springs, Georgia.

Fala at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

Fala's silver-and-leather collar, engraved with the words "Fala, the White House."

Fala (April 7, 1940–April 5, 1952) was a famous Scottish Terrier, the beloved dog of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. One of the most famous presidential pets, Fala captured the attention of the public in the United States and followed Roosevelt everywhere, becoming part of Roosevelt's public image. Given to the Roosevelts by a cousin, Fala knew how to perform tricks; his White House antics were widely covered in the media and often referenced both by Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt. Fala survived Roosevelt by seven years and was buried alongside him. A statue of him alongside Roosevelt is prominently featured in Washington, D.C.'s Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Image File history File links Fala with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. ... Image File history File links Fala with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. ... Picture of the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial in Washington DC Taken by Raul654 on June 23, 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Picture of the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial in Washington DC Taken by Raul654 on June 23, 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Falas leather and silver collar, engraved with Fala, the White House. ... Image File history File links Falas leather and silver collar, engraved with Fala, the White House. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... // Dogs famous in their own right Balto, final lead dog of 1925 serum run to Nome which relayed diphtheria antitoxin by dog sled across the U.S. territory of Alaska to combat an epidemic Beautiful Joe, an abused dog that inspired an 1894 bestselling novel Belka, a dog aboard Sputnik... Country of origin United Kingdom (Scotland) Classification and breed standards Scottish Terriers are a breed of dog best known for their dark black fur and their die-hard spirit. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Dog is a canine carnivorous mammal that has been domesticated for at least 14,000 years and perhaps for as long as 150,000 years based on recent evidence. ... Seal of the President of the United States The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... Order: 32nd President Vice President: John N. Garner Henry A. Wallace Harry S. Truman Term of office: March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945 Preceded by: Herbert Hoover Succeeded by: Harry S. Truman Date of birth: January 30, 1882 Place of birth: Hyde Park, New York Date of death: April 12... This is a list of pets belonging to various US Presidents and their families, while serving their term(s) in office. ... Public relations (PR) deals with influencing public opinion, through the presentation of a clients image, message, or product. ... The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. ... Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) was an American human rights activist, diplomat and as the wife of President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt, the longest serving First Lady of the United States from 1933-1945. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the... FDR with his dog Fala, by sculptor Neil Estern Located along the famous Cherry Tree Walk on the Tidal Basin near the National Mall, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is a memorial not only to President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but also to the era he represents. ...

Early life

Fala was born on April 7, 1940, and was given as an early Christmas gift to Roosevelt by Augustus G. Kellog of Westport, Connecticut, through Roosevelt's cousin, Margaret "Daisy" Suckley. As a puppy, Fala was given obedience training by Suckley, who taught him to sit, roll over, and jump. His original name was Big Boy; Franklin renamed him Murray the Outlaw of Falahill after John Murray, a famous Scottish ancestor. This was later shortened to "Fala." Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... The Seal of the Town of Wesport, Connecticut Westport is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut. ... State nickname: The Constitution State Other U.S. States Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Governor M. Jodi Rell (R) Official languages English Area 14,371 km² (48th)  - Land 12,559 km²  - Water 1,809 km² (12. ... Puppy is: an expression for a young dog the short form of Puppy Linux This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Obedience training involves training an animal, most often a dog, to obey basic control commands such as sit, down, and heel. ... The Dalriada Scots originated from Ireland, from the north of the now-called countyAntrim. ...

White House years

Fala moved into the White House on November 10, 1940. He spent most of his time there until Roosevelt died and was succeeded by Harry S. Truman in April 1945. Fala also traveled with Roosevelt to his home (Springwood) in Hyde Park, New York and Warm Springs, Georgia (Roosevelt's favorite spa town) which helped him with his polio-induced paralysis. November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki (R) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Warm Springs is a city located in Meriwether County, Georgia. ... A spa town is a town frequented, in times past, for health reasons, to take the waters. The name derives from the Belgian town Spa, and in continental Europe, a spa was known as a ville deau (town of water). ... Poliomyelitis (polio), or infantile paralysis, is a viral paralytic disease. ... Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. ...

Every morning Fala was given a bone that came in with Roosevelt's breakfast tray; at nights he was fed dinner. However, in Fala's first few weeks in the White House, he was sent to the veterinarian after getting a severe gastrointestinal disorder; it was later discovered that the White House staff was constantly feeding him, and he became ill after eating too much. Roosevelt ordered that "not even one crumb will be fed to Fala except by the President" and the dog was in good health thereafter. A veterinary surgeon removes stitches from a cats face following minor surgery on an absess. ...

An MGM film about a typical day in the White House featured Fala. Fala also became an honorary private in the U.S. Army by "contributing" $1 to the war effort for every day of the year and setting an example for others on the home front. MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... A private is a military soldier of the lowest military rank. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... In military affairs, the war effort refers to the harnessing of economic and human resources towards support of a military force. ... Home front is the informal term commonly used to describe the civilian populace of the nation at war as an active support system of its military. ...

Fala was often with Roosevelt on the scene of important events; he traveled on Air Force One, the president's airplane, and the Ferdinand Magellan, Roosevelt's custom-made train car, as well as by ship. Fala was with Roosevelt at the Atlantic Charter Conference, Quebec, and the meeting with President Manuel Ávila Camacho of Mexico in Monterey. Air Force One is the air traffic control call sign of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. ... Roosevelt and Churchill at their 1941 secret meeting in the North Atlantic, lasting August 9th through the 12th. ... The Quebec Conference was a high level military conference held during World War II between the British and United States governments. ... Seal of the Office of the President of Mexico The President of United Mexican States is the head of state of Mexico. ... Term of office: 1 December 1940 – 1 December 1946 Preceded by: Lázaro Cárdenas del Río Succeeded by: Miguel Alemán Valdés Date of birth: 24 April 1897 Place of birth: Teziutlán, Puebla Date of death: 13 October 1955 Place of death: México State Profession... Monterrey is a city in Nuevo León, Mexico. ...

In 1943, Fala was the subject of a short series of political cartoons by Alan Foster entitled "Mr. Fala of the White House." This early political cartoon by Ben Franklin was originally written for the French and Indian War, but was later recycled during the Revolutionary War An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration or comic strip containing a political or social message. ...

Fala speech

On September 23, 1944, Roosevelt gave his famous "Fala speech" while campaigning in the 1944 presidential election. The 39.5 minute speech was delivered at a campaign dinner in Washington, D.C., before the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America. In the speech, Roosevelt attacks Republican opponents in Congress and details their attacks on him. Late in the speech, Roosevelt addressed false Republican charges that he had accidentally left Fala behind on the Aleutian Islands while on tour there and had sent a U.S. Navy destroyer to retrieve him at an exorbitant cost: September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), formerly known by the name International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America, is one of the largest labor unions in the United States. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Seal of the Congress. ... Looking down the Aleutians from an airplane. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and manouverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). ...

"These Republican leaders have not been content with attacks on me, or my wife, or on my sons. No, not content with that, they now include my little dog, Fala. [laughter] Well, of course, I don't resent attacks, and my family doesn't resent attacks—but Fala does resent them. [laughter] You know, Fala is Scotch, and being a Scottie, as soon as he learned that the Republican fiction writers in Congress and out had concocted a story that I had left him behind on the Aleutian Islands and had sent a destroyer back to find him—at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three, or eight or 20 million dollars—his Scotch soul was furious. [laughter] He has not been the same dog since! [laughter] I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself--such as that old, worm-eaten chestnut that I have represented myself as indispensable. But I think I have a right to resent, to object to libelous statements about my dog [laughter]."

After Roosevelt's death

Eleanor Roosevelt walking Fala after FDR's death.

Fala and ER

In April 1945, Roosevelt died in Warm Springs of a cerebral hemorrhage. Fala attended the funeral and went to live with the widowed Eleanor Roosevelt at Val-Kill. She often mentioned Fala in her newspaper column, "My Day." Image File history File links Eleanor Roosevelt with Fala. ... Image File history File links Eleanor Roosevelt with Fala. ... Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) was an American human rights activist, diplomat and as the wife of President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt, the longest serving First Lady of the United States from 1933-1945. ... Image File history File links Eleanor Roosevelt with Fala. ... Image File history File links Eleanor Roosevelt with Fala. ... A cerebral hemorrhage is bleeding directly into the brain parenchyma (tissue) itself, otherwise known as hemorrhagic stroke. ... Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) was an American human rights activist, diplomat and as the wife of President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt, the longest serving First Lady of the United States from 1933-1945. ...

It was Fala, my husband's little dog, who never really readjusted. Once, in 1945, when General Eisenhower came to lay a wreath on Franklin's grave, the gates of the regular driveway were opened and his automobile approached the house accompanied by the wailing of the sirens of a police escort. When Fala heard the sirens, his legs straightened out, his ears pricked up and I knew that he expected to see his master coming down the drive as he had come so many times. Later, when we were living in the cottage, Fala always lay near the dining-room door where he could watch both entrances just as he did when his master was there. Franklin would often decide suddenly to go somewhere and Fala had to watch both entrances in order to be ready to spring up and join the party on short notice. Fala accepted me after my husband's death, but I was just someone to put up with until the master should return. -Eleanor Roosevelt, On My Own

Fala often played with his grandson, Tamas McFala. He died in 1952 and was buried next to the Roosevelts in the rose garden at Springwood.

See also

• Checkers speech, a famous address by Richard Nixon with a similar tone to the "Fala speech."

The Checkers speech was a speech given by Richard Nixon on September 23, 1952, when he was the Republican candidate for the Vice Presidency. ... Order: 37th President Vice President: Spiro Agnew (1969–1973), Gerald R. Ford (1973–1974) Term of office: January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974 Preceded by: Lyndon B. Johnson Succeeded by: Gerald R. Ford Date of birth: January 9, 1913 Place of birth: Yorba Linda, California Date of death: April 22...

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:

Fala

• "Biography of Fala." Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. [1]
• "Fala, Roosevelt's Best Friend." Museum Managment Program, National Park Service. March 16, 2005. [2]
• "FDR's Fala, World's Most Famous Dog." [3]