Fanny was the only daughter of President Rutherford B. Hayes, but she wasn’t lonely at the White House. She had seven brothers, who all liked to play “Hide and Seek” and “Blindman’s Bluff”—and sometimes Supreme Court Justices or Senators would join in the fun. The American consul in Bangkok sent the Hayes children a cat named Siam, who was the first Siamese cat in the United States. Fanny also enjoyed swimming, dancing, piano, and carriage rides around D.C. with her mother Lucy. She would hang out with the White House secretaries as they used these new things called telephones—and if she was good, she would get to talk into them, too.
Happy Birthday to America—and her First Daughters
President Obama isn't just celebrating the birth of the nation on July 4, he's celebrating the birth of his daughter Malia, who is turning 14. In honor of both milestones, TIME looks back through the years at other First Daughters, whose youthful exuberance reflects the best of America on her 236th birthday