Finding Stability With Poll the Parrot

Andrew Jackson's reputation for profanity came straight from the mouth of Poll the parrot...

Throughout his life, our seventh president was known for his violent outbursts.

He threatened to "kill" the Second Bank of the U.S. after its leader tried to undermine his popularity. When the Senate rejected his nomination of Martin Van Buren as U.S. minister to England, he shouted, "By the Eternal! I'll smash them!"

And those were reportedly some of his milder tirades. As a prominent figure, he seems to have scrubbed most of his harshest language from the record.

Jackson might have gotten away without a reputation for profanity... if it wasn't for his wife's beloved pet.

In 1827, just a few years before he took office, Jackson bought his wife Rachel an African grey parrot named Poll. While Jackson was busy on the campaign trail, Poll settled into the family estate.

Rachel didn't get to enjoy Poll for long. A few days after Jackson won the presidency, his wife died. Jackson claimed it was from the stress of the attacks leveled at her during the election.

Jackson seemed reluctant to part with a beloved treasure of his late wife's. However, he couldn't let the parrot slow him down... he had a country to run.

While he left Poll at the estate, the president kept close tabs on the bird...

In 1829, he told his nephew that he intended to keep Poll alive for as long as he lived, out of fondness for Rachel. His nephew wrote back, assuring him the bird was doing well... and was "as fat and saucy as ever."

After finishing up at the White House, Jackson moved home. For the last few years of the former president's life, he took on the all-important job of caring for Poll.

And it seems Poll paid as much attention to Jackson as Jackson did to the bird...

In June 1845, thousands of people gathered for Jackson's funeral... and so did Poll. According to a letter from funeral attendee Reverend W.M. Norment, Poll wasn't content to quietly watch the proceedings...

Before the sermon and while the crowd was gathering, a wicked parrot that was a household pet got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house.

Poll must have learned a new word or two from his time spent with Jackson.

So much for scrubbing the history books.

Historians have spent decades trying to verify the story of Poll at Andrew Jackson's funeral. Norment's account seems to be the only one they've found so far.

What we do know for certain, though, is that Poll existed. And even a notoriously fiery politician like Andrew Jackson had a soft spot for his wife's pet parrot.

A lot has changed since the 1800s... but people still love their pets...

The percentage of households with pets has been above 60% for nearly two decades. Pet supplies are a massive $131 billion industry.

And that makes it a great place for investors interested in stable businesses.

There's a lot of uncertainty in today's market. Between consumer health, tariffs, and international wars, stocks have dealt with their share of volatility. The S&P 500 is just barely breaking even this year.

Meanwhile, some of the biggest names in pet care are having a much better time.

Pet-goods e-commerce giant Chewy (CHWY) is up double digits. Idexx Laboratories (IDXX), which sells veterinary lab-testing equipment, has risen 27%.

If you're searching for stability, you might consider checking out the pet-care space. It's one area where folks are going to keep spending... no matter what.

Regards,

Rob Spivey
June 12, 2025