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Socks

Socks in 1994
Other name(s)	First Cat, First Cat of the United States
Breed	Domestic short-haired cat
Sex	Male
Born	c. 1989 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	February 20, 2009 (aged 20) Hollywood, Maryland, U.S.
Cause of death	Euthanasia
Occupation	First Cat of the United States (1993 – 2001) First Cat of Arkansas (1991 – 92)
Owner	Clinton family (1991 – 2001) Betty Currie (2001 – 2009)
Appearance	Black-and-white tuxedo

Socks (c. 1989 – February 20, 2009) was the pet cat of the Clinton family, the first family of the United States from 1993 to 2001. An adopted stray, he was the pet of the Clintons during the early years of the administration, and his likeness hosted the children's version of the White House website, alongside the Clintons' dog, Buddy. After President Clinton left office, Socks resided with former Clinton secretary Betty Currie and her husband, owing to continuing conflicts with Buddy.

Biography

Socks was likely born in early 1989, based on a veterinarian's estimate that he would have turned 20 in early 2009. He was originally a stray and was adopted by the Clintons in 1991 after he jumped into the arms of Chelsea Clinton as she was leaving the house of her piano teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was playing with his sibling, Midnight, who was later adopted by another family. His name was inspired by his white paws, which resembled those of the title character of the Beverly Cleary novel Socks.

When 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. He was often taken to schools and hospitals. During the Clinton administration, children visiting the White House website would be guided by a cartoon version of Socks.

Bill Clinton said, "I did better with the Palestinians and the Israelis than I've done with Socks and Buddy." When the Clintons left the White House in 2001, Buddy was taken to their new home, but left Socks under the care of Bill Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie. Buddy would die within a year, being hit by a car in 2002.

By June 2008, Socks was still living with Currie and her husband in Hollywood, Maryland, about 60 miles from Washington, but had a thyroid condition, hair and weight loss, and kidney problems.

In December 2008, Socks was reported to be in failing health, apparently suffering from cancer. Socks was euthanized on February 20, 2009, in Hollywood, Maryland, after suffering cancer of the jaw. Time had an obituary of Socks in its milestones section.

Investigation

Indiana Representative Dan Burton, then the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, once publicly questioned the use of White House staff, postage, and stationery to answer mail addressed to the cat.

Cultural references

• First Lady Hillary Clinton carried a Socks-shaped minaudière to the 1997 Inaugural Ball. Designed by Judith Leiber, famous for her whimsically shaped, rhinestone-encrusted evening bags, it is currently on display at the Amsterdam Museum of Bags and Purses.

• Hillary Clinton wrote a children's book called Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets in 1998 whose proceeds went to the National Park Foundation.

• A comics 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.

• 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. 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.

• Socks was to be the subject of a canceled 1993 video game entitled Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill for the Super NES and Sega Genesis platforms. The game was released in 2018.

• In his announcement of the Next Generation Internet Initiative in 1996, President Clinton said, "When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the World Wide Web. Now even my cat has its own page."

• Steve Bell's long running cartoon series If in The Guardian included Socks as a recurring character with more influence on politics than is generally assumed.

• The women's clothing brand Soccx, produced by the German company Clinton Großhandels-GmbH, was named after Socks. The company's other brands, Camp David and Chelsea, are also references to the Clintons.

Gallery

• Socks the Cat on the grass at the White House.
• A likeness of Socks hosted the children's version of the White House website.
• Socks with Betty Currie, President Clinton's secretary
• Socks peeking into his Christmas stocking in 1993
• Socks with Easter eggs in 1994
• Chelsea Clinton plays with Socks in the Oval Office in 1994
• Socks perches on President Clinton's shoulder in 1993
• Socks sits in Hillary Clinton's lap in 1995
• Socks at the lectern in the White House Press Briefing Room
• Socks sitting at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, 1994
• Socks photographed on the South Lawn of the White House
• Socks in the grass
• President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton playing with Socks
• Socks perched on the backseat of a van

See also

• United States presidential pets
• Socks, 1973 novel
• List of individual cats

References

1. ^ "The White House for Kids". whitehouse.gov. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2009 – via National Archives.
2. "As Peace Process Fails, First Cat Prepares for Exile". The New York Times. January 10, 2001. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
3. Herring, Hubert B. "Betty Currie". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
4. ^ Craton, Susan (February 20, 2009). "Socks, former First Cat, dies". Somdnews.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
5. Cellania, Miss (February 24, 2009). "The Nine Lives of Socks Clinton". Mental Floss. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
6. "About Socks and Buddy". clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov. 1999. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
7. Hoffman, Jordan (March 27, 2021). "Beverly Cleary, Author of Children's Books, Dies at Age 104". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
8. "President Clinton Touts Economy While President-elect Bush Warns of Slowdown". CNN. January 12, 2001. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
9. "Former First Dog Buddy Killed by Car". CNN.com. January 3, 2002. Archived from the original on July 5, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
10. "Socks still rocks", Southern Maryland Newspapers Online, June 6, 2008.
11. "Clinton's Socks the Cat Near Death", U.S. News, December 12, 2008.
12. "Socks, former Clinton cat, put to sleep". CNN. February 20, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
13. "Milestones". Time. November 9, 2023. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
14. "Burton: A 'Pit Bull' in the Chair". The Washington Post. March 19, 1997. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
15. "Evening bag 'Socks', Judith Leiber, USA, 1996". Museum of Bags and Purses. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018.
16. Clinton, Hillary, Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets, Simon & Schuster, 1998, ISBN 0-684-85778-2, ISBN 978-0-684-85778-7
17. O'Donoghue, Michael; Suarès, Jean-Claude (1993). Socks Goes to Washington: The Diary of America's First Cat. Thomasson-Grant. ISBN 1565660420.
18. ""Murphy Brown": Sox and the Single Girl". TV.com.
19. "Tough Pigs Anthology: April Frog's Day, April 2002: Part Six: Watch What You Do". Toughpigs.com. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
20. G., Evan (April 1, 2012). "Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill". Snes Central. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
21. "Internet Growth Statistics - Global Village Online". InternetWorldStats.com. October 12, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
22. Guardian published November 2008 retrieved April 17, 2023
23. "CAMP DAVID SOCCX - Das Wichtigsten auf einen Blick" (in German). fabeau.de. August 10, 2018.

External links

• Picture with photographers
• Socks meets Buddy (January 6, 1998)
• Purr 'n' Fur Famous Felines: Socks Clinton, and other Presidential Felines
• A web-based version of the children's book, Socks Goes to the White House – A Cats-eye view of the President's house

v t e Bill Clinton
42nd President of the United States (1993–2001) 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas (1979–1981, 1983–1992)
Presidency (timeline)	Transition 1st inauguration 2nd inauguration Timeline 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 January 2001 Economic policy AmeriCorps Health care plan North American Free Trade Agreement Balanced Budget Foreign policy International trips Clinton Doctrine Oslo I Accord Israel–Jordan peace treaty Dayton Agreement 2000 Camp David Summit Cruise missile strikes on Iraq 1993 1996 Operation Infinite Reach Bombing of Yugoslavia Bombing of Iraq (1998) National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 Transportation Equity Act One America Initiative Riegle-Neal Act Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Regulation Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 Telecommunications Act of 1996 Communications Decency Act Section 230 Nannygate Lincoln Bedroom for contributors controversy Commerce Department trade mission controversy 1996 United States campaign finance controversy Clinton–Lewinsky scandal Starr Report Impeachment efforts inquiry trial White House Millennium Council Pardons list Cabinet Judicial appointments Supreme Court controversies Executive Orders Presidential Proclamations Presidential transition of George W. Bush
Life and legacy	Childhood home Early life and career Governorships of Arkansas Presidential Library Post-presidency Clinton Foundation Clinton School of Public Service Clinton Bush Haiti Fund Chairman, National Constitution Center Honors and awards Public image Troopergate Sexual misconduct allegations Whitewater controversy
Speeches	Joint session of Congress (1993) Joint session of Congress (health care reform) (1993) State of the Union addresses 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Elections	U.S. House 1974 Gubernatorial 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1990 Presidential 1992 campaign "Make America Great Again" primaries running mate selection convention debates election theme song 1996 campaign primaries convention debates election
Books	Between Hope and History (1996) My Life (2004) Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World (2007) Back to Work (2011) The President Is Missing (2018) The President's Daughter (2021) Citizen: My Life After the White House (2024)
Namesakes	William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building Bill Clinton Boulevard Clinton National Airport
Popular culture	Saturday Night Live parodies of Bill Clinton The War Room (1993 documentary) The Silence of the Hams (1994 film) Primary Colors (1998 film) The Final Days (2000 short film) The Hunting of the President (2004 film) The Special Relationship (2010 film) Clinton (2012 film) Hillary and Clinton (2016 play) Impeachment: American Crime Story (2021 miniseries) The American Presidency with Bill Clinton (2022 documentary series)
Family	Hillary Rodham Clinton (wife) Chelsea Clinton (daughter) William Jefferson Blythe Jr. (father) Virginia Clinton Kelley (mother) Roger Clinton Sr. (first stepfather) Roger Clinton Jr. (brother) Jeff Dwire (second stepfather) Socks (cat) Buddy (dog) Whitehaven (residence)
← George H. W. Bush George W. Bush → Category

v t e Hillary Clinton
11th Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast (2020–present) 67th United States Secretary of State (2009–2013) US Senator from New York (2001–2009) First Lady of the United States (1993–2001) First Lady of Arkansas (1979–1981, 1983–1992)
Secretary of State	Tenure as Secretary Foreign trips Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review Foreign policy of the Obama administration Hillary Doctrine Email controversy UN Security Council Resolution 1888 UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict
US senator	Senate career Family Entertainment Protection Act Flag Protection Act of 2005
First Lady	Tenure as First Lady 1993 health care reform Hillaryland Travel office controversy FBI files controversy "Vast right-wing conspiracy" Vital Voices Save America's Treasures State Children's Health Insurance Program Adoption and Safe Families Act Foster Care Independence Act White House Millennium Council
Arkansas	Legal career Career in corporate governance Tenures as First Lady of Arkansas Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families Rose Law Firm Legal Services Corporation Whitewater controversy Cattle futures controversy
Philanthropic	Clinton Foundation State Department controversy Onward Together
Speeches and policies	Political positions "Women's Rights Are Human Rights" (1995) "Basket of deplorables" (2016)
Writings	Bibliography Senior thesis (1969) It Takes a Village (1996) Dear Socks, Dear Buddy (1998) An Invitation to the White House (2000) Living History (2003) Hard Choices (2014) Stronger Together (2016) What Happened (2017) The Book of Gutsy Women (2019) State of Terror (2021)
Electoral history	Senatorial elections 2000 US Senate election in New York 2006 US Senate election in New York 2008 Democratic presidential primaries Campaign Endorsements Debates Convention 2016 US presidential election Campaign Endorsements political non-political screen and stage performers other celebrities Democratic primaries debates running mate selection convention Democratic opposition General election debates Hillary Victory Fund
Legacy	Awards and honors Books about Public image Clinton National Airport
Popular culture	Hillary 1984 Saturday Night Live parodies Hillary Clinton: The Power of Women (2015 documentary) Hillary and Clinton (2016 play) Hillary (2020 documentary)
Family	Bill Clinton (husband presidency) Chelsea Clinton (daughter) Hugh E. Rodham (father) Dorothy Howell Rodham (mother) Hugh Rodham (brother) Tony Rodham (brother) Socks (cat) Buddy (dog) Whitehaven (residence)
Other	Situation Room (2011 photograph) Activities after 2016

• 1989 animal births
• 2009 animal deaths
• Animal deaths by euthanasia
• Bill Clinton
• Hillary Clinton
• United States presidential cats