Mister Ganja, born in the fall of 1995, was the first hamster ever to consider running for the presidency. He was also the first candidate to announce his intention to run in the 2000 election, doing so on a web page created in early 1997. Mister Ganja was married twice, first to the lovely Shelley (see photo at left - the white hamstress to his right) and, after Shelley's demise in 1997, he took another white hamster, gentle Brigit (below, right), as his bride.

Brigit and Mister Ganja had many children, including a litter of five born 30 April 1998 when Mister Ganja was already more than two and a half years of age. In that litter was a stunningly pretty female, who was brought back from the pet store when her father passed away and given the name "Ms. Ganjette" in his honor.

On 28 August, 1998, Ganjette married a young male hamster by the name of Scratch, the great grandson of the legendary superhamster Sherman and his wife Juliette. Scratch was born on April 7, 1998, the same day that his eminent ancestor passed into eternity. Scratch and Ganjette had three litters of babies -- 23 children total -- six born 13 September 1998, a litter of eight following on 27 October 1998, and 25 January 1999, nine more were born.

A daughter from the second litter, Hamster Balu, remained in the community and on 8 January of 1999, she was married to a black satin hamster, Simon. (See photo at left.) Their first litter of babies did not survive, but two later ones did, producing great grandchildren for our honorable pioneer candidate, Mister Ganja, and grandchildren for Scratch and Ganjette.

Balu achieved her own worldly recognition, being judged "Best of Winners" at a 28 August hamster show in Delaware at which breeders from at least six states participated. Among the children born to Balu and Simon was Booker T. Hamster (left photo), born on 28 February 1999 -- a strong, sensible fellow with deep golden striped fur and the satin shine of his father. Bookie was married to Yako Zimba, the smallest daughter in a litter of 15 born in May of 1999, and they had just one litter - six baby hamssters, born 24 September 1999. Tragically, Yako died of uterine cancer on 30 December 1999.

Among the six children born to Bookie (as Booker T. was fondly called) was a friendly, elegant and gorgeous female. When Yako died, she (like Ganjette) was brought back from the pet store and given the name Jade. Jade had already given birth to 11 children while in the pet store (on Thanksgiving day, 25 November 1999), and one of those, a shiny (satin) cream, named Yako Zimba II after her grandmother, also came back to live in the community of her mother's birth.

Jade (photo at right) eventually married the popular and adventuresome Yarash. And on the 24th of March, 2000, five babies were born to the couple, including sons Diddley Squat the Fourth and Yarash Junior, the renowned Hamster For President nominees of 2000 election fame. A picture of the five, while still babies, appears below.

Diddley Squat, shown in a collection of 2000 photos above, goes about his business, checking the rolodex to keep in touch with prominent rodents throughout the country, tracking the news of the day, storing treats for his adoring and dedicated campaign volunteers, and greeting visitors. "The Squat" was remarkably intelligent and hard-working, but also loved fun, and was adored by his colleagues.

Yarash Junior, or "YJ" for short, was an almost incredibly well-chosen vice presidential candidate. Though a bit less outgoing that Diddley, he brought intellectual depth to the ticket, as well as sensitivity, compassion, and the ability to communicate with other constituencies such as rabbits, gerbils, rats, and even humans. Like Diddley Squat, as well as previous Hamster For President candidates, he always felt the country is best run the way a hamster runs in a wheel. In other words, the White House should be occupied by a wheel-running hamster (an ability at which the young YJ excelled).

From Bookie to Potus

The genealogy of the current contender, the esteemed Potus, is just as interesting. While Diddley Squat and YJ were descended from Ganjette-Scratch grandson Booker T. Hamster, that is where the line splits. After first wife Yako Zimba died, Bookie married again - this time to a cinnamon-colored sister of Yako's by the name of Maty (photo above left).

Five children were born to Bookie and Maty on 3 May 2000. Of the five, one stayed in the household. He was a long-haired, golden, satin male by the name of Melek. Melek (at right) was a lot like his father - quiet and gentle, with a affectionate nature, but often solitary and almost reclusive. Melek was almost 11 months old when his bride, the lovely Mocha, came to live with us. They were married a month after Melek's first birthday. A photo of their 9 June 2001 wedding appears below.

Melek, son of Booker T. Hamster and Maty, is the half-brother of Jade, the daughter born to Bookie and first wife Yako Zimba. This would mean (for those who like tracking stuff like this) that Pacman, the son born to Melek and Mocha on 28 June 2001, could be called a "half first cousin" of Diddley and YJ, the sons of Jade and Yarash. The lovely Mocha, one of the most friendly, loving creatures in the universe, died suddenly on 22 June 2002, of an apparent stroke.

Pacman (at right) was the only one of 13 babies - Mocha and Melek's only litter - to stay with the family. A sturdy and good-tempered hamster, Pacman was a perfect mixture of Mocha's warm, outgoing personality and the gentle, subdued Melek. And like his father before him, Pacman waiting for eleven months before he married his "perfect bride." That bride was young Jidette, born 17 December 2001 at a local pet shop. She arrived in the home in February of 2002, married Pacman on 1 May, and gave birth to his six children on 17 May. Among those children were our candidate, Potus, and his lovely sister Tyler.

A photo of Jidette, taken just prior to her wedding, is shown above. A smitten Pacman is seen, on her right, trying frantically to find a way into her cage.

Jidette and her babies thrived. She was enormously fond of the goat milk she was fed several times daily while she was nursing the little ones. And the babies grew fast. They are seen below at two-and-a-half weeks of age munching on some kale greens, a hamster favorite. Jidette is at the back left corner of the cage. A very young Potus can be seen at the center of the photo. She gave birth to a second litter - five babies, four younger sisters and one younger brother - on the 16th of September.

The young Potus grew and matured. He was barely a month of age when Diddley Squat died. And a month later, he was picked by the Hamster For President campaign committee to be the next candidate for president. Parents Pacman and Jidette were hardly surprised. They had given him the name Potus because it's the name used by the Secret Service to speak of the president. It stands for "President Of The United States."