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India "Willie" Bush (July 13, 1990 – January 4, 2009) was a black Shorthair cat owned by former U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. She lived with the Bush family for almost two decades.
Official Biography at WhiteHouse.gov
{{DEFAULTSORT:India (Cat) 1990 animal births 2009 animal deaths George W. Bush administration controversies India–United States relations United States presidential cats
India "Willie" Bush (July 13, 1990 – January 4, 2009) was a black Shorthair cat owned by former U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. She lived with the Bush family for almost two decades.
Biography
The Bushes acquired India, an all-black, femaleAmerican Shorthair
The American Shorthair (ASH) is a breed of domestic cat believed to be descended from European cats brought to North America by early settlers to protect valuable cargo from mice and rats. According to the Cat Fanciers' Association, in 2020, i ...
, in late 1991 or 1992 when their twin daughters Barbara and Jenna Bush were nine years old. India remained with George and Laura Bush once their daughters left for college. The cat moved with the Bushes to the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
from the Texas Governor's Mansion in Austin in early 2001 following Bush's inauguration as President.
Despite living at the White House with the First Family, India had been largely overshadowed in the media by two of the Bushes' higher profile Scottish terrier
The Scottish Terrier ( gd, Abhag Albannach; also known as the Aberdeen Terrier), popularly called the Scottie, is a breed of dog. Initially one of the highland breeds of terrier that were grouped under the name of ''Skye Terrier'', it is one ...
s, Barney and Miss Beazley. However, she's seen in the "Barneycam" videos produced by the White House staff around Christmas time, her first being ''Where in the White House is Miss Beazley?'', where she was referred to as "Willie". The dogs received significantly more media attention from the White House press corps
The White House press corps is the group of journalists, correspondents, and members of the media usually assigned to the White House in Washington, D.C., to cover the president of the United States, White House events, and news briefings. Its o ...
during the Bush presidency.
The Bush family cat made an appearance in the March 2008 '' Architectural Digest'', as "Willie", in the East Sitting Hall
The East Sitting Hall is located on the second floor of the White House, home of the president of the United States. First used as a reception room for guests of the president (the Lincoln Bedroom and the Queens' Bedroom were originally offices of ...
of the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
.
India died at the White House on January 4, 2009, at the age of 18. In a statement to the press regarding India's death, a spokesperson for First Lady observed that the family was "deeply saddened by their cat's death", and went on to say "India was a beloved member of the Bush family for almost two decades. She will be greatly missed."
Controversy in India
There was some controversy reported inIndia
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
as some people were upset with the cat's name. In July 2004, demonstrators in the southern Keralian city of Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
denounced the cat's name as an insult to the nation of India, and burned an effigy of President Bush in protest. The Bushes did not change the cat's name in response to the demonstrations, as their cat had been named after the baseball player Rubén Sierra
Rubén Angel Sierra García (born October 6, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Sierra goes by the nicknames ''El Caballo'' and ''El Indio''.
Over 20 seasons, Sierra played for the Texas Rangers (1986–92, 2000–01, 2003), ...
, who was nicknamed "El Indio El Indio (Spanish for 'The Indian') may refer to:
* '' El indio'', a 1939 Mexican drama film
* ''El indio'' (1953 film), by Filipino director Eddie Romero
* El Indio Gold Belt, a mineral-rich region across the Argentina–Chile border
* ''El Indi ...
" during his time with the Texas Rangers when Bush owned the team. The name "India" had reportedly been given to the family cat by their daughter Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously w ...
.
See also
* United States presidential pets * List of individual catsReferences
External links
Official Biography at WhiteHouse.gov
{{DEFAULTSORT:India (Cat) 1990 animal births 2009 animal deaths George W. Bush administration controversies India–United States relations United States presidential cats