Socks (cat)

Infobox Animal
name = Socks


caption = Socks in the White House press briefing room
birthname =
othername =
species = Cat
breed =
gender = Male
birthdate = March, 1991
birthplace = Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
deathdate =
deathplace =
restingplace =
restingplacecoordinates =
relativeage =
nationality =
occupation =
employer =
role =
yearsactive =
known =
awards =
title =
term =
predecessor =
successor =
owner = Bill Clinton Betty Currie
parents =
children =
weight =
height =
appearance = Black and White
namedafter =
website =

Socks (born c. March 1991) was the pet cat of the Bill Clinton family. Socks now resides with the Clinton's secretary Betty Currie and her husband.

Biography

Socks was adopted by the Clintons in 1991 after he jumped into the arms of Chelsea Clinton while she was leaving the house of her piano teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was playing with his sibling, 'Midnight'. Midnight was later adopted by someone else. After Bill Clinton became President, Socks moved with the family from the governor's mansion to the White House and became the principal pet of the First Family in Clinton's first term, though he was known to share his food and water with a stray tabby, dubbed "Slippers". He was often taken to schools, hospitals, and nursing homes to take part in goodwill visits.Fact|date=February 2007 During the Clinton administration, children visiting the White House website would be guided by a cartoon version of Socks. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/19990420154543/www.whitehouse.gov/WH/kids/html/home.html The White House for Kids] ]

He eventually lost the position of principal Clinton pet in 1997 when the Clintons acquired Buddy, a Labrador Retriever. At this point, some fans of Socks joked that he had been "voted out of office" of White House pet in favor of the more traditional dog.

Socks found Buddy's intrusion intolerable; according to Hillary Rodham Clinton, Socks "despised Buddy from first sight, instantly and forever." Bill Clinton said, "I did better with ... the Palestinians and the Israelis than I've done with Socks and Buddy." [cite web| title =President Clinton Touts Economy While President-elect Bush Warns of Slowdown| publisher =CNN.com| date =January 12, 2001| url=http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0101/12/ip.00.html| accessdate = 2007-10-22] When the Clintons left the White House in 2001, they took Buddy to their new home, but left Socks under the care of Bill Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie. Socks was only the fourth cat to occupy the White House since Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency.

In December 2002, Socks was part of Little Rock Arkansas Christmas parade.

In October 2004, Socks made a now-rare public appearance when Currie was guest speaker at an Officers' Spouses Club luncheon at Andrews Air Force Base. Socks accompanied her and took part in a photo op.

As of June 2008, Socks was still living with Currie and her husband in Hollywood, Maryland, about 80 miles from Washington, but had a thyroid condition, hair loss, weight loss, and kidney problems. [ [http://www.somdnews.com/stories/06062008/entecov172737_32166.shtml "Socks still rocks"] , Southern Maryland Newspapers Online, June 6, 2008]

Investigation

Republican Rep. Dan Burton once publicly questioned the use of White House staff, postage, and stationery to answer mail addressed to the cat. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/pitbull.htm Burton: A 'Pit Bull' in the Chair] ]

Cultural references

A cartoon book called "Socks Goes to Washington: The Diary of America's First Cat", written by Michael O'Donoghue and Jean-Claude Suares, was published in 1993. [ [http://www.amazon.com/Socks-Goes-Washington-Diary-Americas/dp/1565660420 Amazon.com: "Socks Goes to Washington: The Diary of America's First Cat"] ]

Socks was a character in "If...", Steve Bell's cartoon strip in "The Guardian", where he was described as the "world's most powerful cat".

Socks was featured prominently in an episode of the sitcom "Murphy Brown" in December 1993 entitled "Sox and the Single Girl", in which Socks is inadvertently removed from the White House during a press dinner. [ [http://www.tv.com/murphy-brown/sox-and-the-single-girl/episode/35628/summary.html "Murphy Brown": Sox and the Single Girl] at TV.com] [imdb title|0653877|"Murphy Brown": Sox and the Single Girl (1993)] On the April 1, 1994 edition of "Larry King Live", a Muppet version of Socks was a special guest interviewed by Kermit the Frog, who was guest hosting for Larry King at the time. [ [http://www.toughpigs.com/anthking06.htm Tough Pigs Anthology: April Frog's Day, April 2002: Part Six: Watch What You Do] ]

In 1996, Socks appeared on a series of stamps in the Central African Republic with Bill Clinton.

In Berkeley Breathed's comic strip "Outland", Socks was involved in a homosexual affair with Bill the Cat. They appeared together on a talk show, along with Checkers Nixon, Rex Reagan, and Millie Bush, on the topic of "Gay Presidential Pets."

The video clip for the song Blister in the Sun by the band the Violent Femmes, made for the movie Grosse Pointe Blank depicts an obsessive fan donning a Socks costume and attempting to assassinate Socks while he was speaking in public. Socks survived the incident unscathed while the would-be assassin was apprehended.

Socks was to be the subject of a canceled 1993 videogame entitled "Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill" for the Super NES and Sega Genesis platforms. [ [http://www.gamestats.com/objects/855/855049/index.html GameStats: Socks the Cat Cheats, Reviews, News ] ]

The collectible wooden house series Cat's Meow Village reissued its White House piece in 1993, with a tiny version of Socks painted alongside the black cat Casper traditionally featured on the pieces.

References

External links

* [http://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/famous/socks.html Purr'n'Fur famous felines]
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/holiday/historicalpets3/09.html White House: Presidential Pets]