Every Thanksgiving, we can count on a few things: a spectacular Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the falling orange leaves outside, delicious food, and even a presidential pardon for a turkey.
Whether you’re a longtime fan of presidential turkey pardons or just learning about them for the first time, we’re taking you on a little history lesson about how this grand tradition began. At face value, it begs lots of questions like, “When did this start?” “Why?” and “Are they secretly eating these turkeys anyway?” (They’re not, don’t worry.) So let’s look back.
The tradition of turkeys being presented to U.S. presidents dates all the way back to Abraham Lincoln, who was once gifted a turkey for Christmas dinner whom his son Tad was so taken with that it turned into the family pet, Jack. But it would take many more administrations before the turkey pardon became an official tradition linked to Thanksgiving.
The National Turkey Federation, which presents the turkey to be pardoned each year, became involved in 1947, granting President Harry S. Truman two turkeys in 1948 which did not go on to be pardoned. In 1963, it was President John F. Kennedy who first decided to formally spare the turkey presented to him, and Presidents Nixon and Carter each pardoned a few turkeys too — then Ronald Reagan was the first to phrase his letting the turkey live as a “presidential pardon” in 1987, and George H.W. Bush codified it as tradition in 1989.
Ever since then, quite a few turkeys have been pardoned every year by U.S. Presidents with their families looking on — read on for a look back from JFK’s first pardon (just a few days before his assassination) to Joe Biden’s recent photo opp.
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy pardoned a 55-pound white turkey that wore a sign reading “Good Eating, Mr. President!” He specifically said he wanted to watch the turkey grow old.
Lyndon B. Johnson
President Lyndon B. Johnson was presented with a 40-pound broad-breasted white tom turkey. Thanksgiving was a big event in the Johnson household.
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon’s wife Patricia Nixon accepted turkeys when he was in office and sent them to a children’s farm.
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter’s wife Rosalynn Carter sent the accepted turkeys to a mini zoo near the White House. They always did an outdoor excursion or celebration for Thanksgiving.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan and his wife, like a couple of presidents and their wives before them, took his pardoned turkeys to a nearby farm.
George H. W. Bush
Pardoning became a tradition for every president since George H. W. Bush’s turkey pardoning. He looked at the turkey and said before the crowd, “Let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table, not this guy. He’s granted a presidential pardon as of right now.”
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton held up tradition and officially pardoned a 35-pound turkey, a 50-pound turkey, and a couple more while in office.
George W. Bush
For George W. Bush’s turkey pardoning, he held a public vote on what he should name the turkey, and the people voted on the name “Stars & Stripes” for the first turkey.
Barack Obama
In 2015, Barack Obama not only pardoned two turkeys, but he gave them titles. The turkeys, given the names Honest and Abe, were given a different ceremony. Abe was given the title “TOTUS – Turkey of the United States” and Honest was decreed “in the TOTUS line of succession.”
Donald Trump
Donald Trump and Melania Trump took the pardoning very seriously. Donald even thanked the turkey. “Corn, I hereby grant you a full pardon. Thank you, Corn.”
Joe Biden
Most recently, President Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys named Peanut Butter and Jelly. In true Biden fashion, he had to say a slew of puns throughout his speech.
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