President Lyndon B. Johnson was thrust into his role by the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy. Just 2 hours after Kennedy was assassinated, Johnson was sworn in on Air Force One. Johnson, frequently referred to as “LBJ”, may not have assumed the Presidency after an election, but he did stay true to form when it came to keeping pets, which included hamsters.
Although several sources state that the Johnsons had hamsters, often the critters are overshadowed by the more famous “Him” and “Her”, beagles belonging to the couple. The hamsters likely lived a much more retiring life inside the White House – certainly they weren’t up to getting their ears tugged like Him did.
Johnson did make a very good move during his Presidency on behalf of hamsters and other animals used in laboratories. On August 24th, 1966, Johnson signed the Animal Welfare Bill, which required any laboratories using animals in experimentation to be licensed and fully monitored. The enforcement of this policy was placed under the Department of Agriculture. Since the signing, the bill has been amended and upgraded and includes fines and even jail time for those who experiment on animals cruelly or engage in any type of fighting with animals.