Lou Carrol & Checkers: The dog that changed the course of history

Lou Carrol, who recently passed away, became famous for one simple act: He gave a politician the gift of a dog. Doesn't actually sound all that momentous, does it? Well this dog changed the course of US history.

Lou Carrol was a traveling salesman living in a small town in Texas in July 1952 when he stopped in a late-night diner and read a newspaper article in which then-Senator Richard Nixon's wife, Pat, expressed a desire to have a puppy for their two young daughters. He impulsively headed over to a nearby Western Union office and sent a telegram to Nixon's office in Washington. And the rest (as they say) is history.

That dog, named Checkers, saved Nixon's career when he became embroiled in a scandal about the use of campaign funds. Nixon was then a candidate for VP, but it was looking as if he would be dropped from the ticket because of the scandal. That was when Nixon gave the speech of his life--an address that would become one of the most famous speeches in the past century.

You must be of a certain age to remember the "Checkers Speech," and we're proud to report we're not old enough--but we certainly know about it! (Hey, you may have slept through history class, but we didn't!)

In a nationally-broadcast speech that saved Nixon's career, he said the
following:

One other thing I probably should tell you because if we don't they'll probably be saying this about me too, we did get something-a gift-after the election. A man down in Texas heard Pat on the radio mention the fact that our two youngsters would like to have a dog... It was a little cocker spaniel dog in a crate that he'd sent all the way from Texas. Black and white spotted. And our little girl-Tricia, the 6-year old-named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it.

The speech saved Nixon's career (and we're not going to debate whether that's a good or bad thing here--this isn't a political blog!)

Carrol died of natural causes April 3 in Hoffman Estates, Ill., his family said. He was 83. He was always a bit surprised at the role he played in history: "I had no idea she'd be such a big deal," he said of Checkers the dog.

You can read more about Carrol, Nixon, and Checkers on LATimes.com. Or, you can read and hear parts of the famous Checker speech on Watergate.com.