King Mongkut of Siam Offered Elephants To United States

It was early 1862 and President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, had plenty on his mind.

After all, the American Civil War had started roughly a year before, and the nation was in complete turmoil.

About a year earlier, King Mongkut of Siam (which is now Thailand) gifted the President with a number of gifts, including a sword and two elephant tusks.

In those days, face-to-face meetings with the President were rare - instead, King Mongkut wrote letters and had the presents hand-delivered to the White House.

King Mongkut used his eloquent letters and gifts in order to try and curry favor with Western countries. This was Siam's way of encouraging ties with the Western world, and it worked effectively.

King Mongkut wasn't done with the presents after the sword and tusks were sent.

How would you like a number of elephants, King Mongkut wrote in his letter to the President.

King Mongkut's idea was to send a number of male and female elephants to the United States, where they could multiply and roam free throughout the country. King Mongkut also proclaimed that the elephants could be used to transport goods and perform other tasks.

In 1862, while the American Civil War was raging, President Lincoln finally decided to write a letter back to King Mongkut.

After thanking him for the sword and tusks, President Lincoln politely declined the offer of the elephants.

President Lincoln stated that it wasn't the right climate for the elephants, plus steam-powered trains and ships had made the transport of goods much easier.

Thanks, but no thanks, President Lincoln said to King Mongkut. The sword and tusks were accepted by the American government, but the elephants were politely refused.

If King Mongkut had gotten his way, elephants would likely still be roaming throughout the United States to this day.

Filed under: General Knowledge