First Dog (1940s)

Fala was president Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scottish Terrier. FDR was given to FDR by a cousin. Fala was one of the most famous presidential pets and the media often ran stories about the dog. Fala lived seven years after FDR passed away and was buried near the President. 
 
FDR at a picnic on "Sunset Hill" near Pine Plains, NY, August 8, 1940. Fala is 4 months old. (FDR Library)
FDR with 4 month old puppy Fala at a picnic on “Sunset Hill” near Pine Plains, NY, August 8, 1940. 
Eleanor Roosevelt, Fala, and MacKenzie King at Quebec, Canada for conference, 9/11/1944. (National Archives Identifier 196995)
Eleanor Roosevelt, Fala, and Canadian Prime Minister MacKenzie King in Quebec, Canada for a conference. September 11, 1944. 
Photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt and the late President Roosevelt's dog, Fala, at the dedication of the Franklin D. Roosevelt home at Hyde Park, New York, 4/12/1946. (National Archives Identifier 199362)
Eleanor Roosevelt at the dedication of the Franklin D. Roosevelt home at Hyde Park, New York, April 12, 1946. 
Fala's Grave Fala, FDR's famous Scottish terrier died on April 5, 1952 and is buried in the Rose Garden at the Roosevelt estate in Hyde Park. (Courtesy of the FDR Library)
Fala died on April 5, 1952, and is buried in the Rose Garden at the Roosevelt estate in Hyde Park, NY. 
Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.

Featured collection

About the Author

Ari Siegel is the founder and CEO of HistoryByMail.com and
HistoricCartoons.com. After growing up hearing WWII stories from both of his
grandfathers, he studied history at the University of Michigan. While working
in Washington D.C. and giving tours of the U.S. Capitol building, he was
inspired to take some of the thousands of historic documents that belong to the
American people, and make them more accessible.