Presidential turkey pardons: An illustrated guide to the Thanksgiving tradition
Among some of his final duties in office, President Joe Biden is expected to "pardon" one or two turkeys before Thanksgiving this year.
The unusual tradition may be one of the more amusing duties presidents have done for decades. But where did this tradition of pardoning turkey come from? And who pardoned the first turkey?
As far back as 1870s, birds have been sent to the White House as gifts near the holidays, according to historical records. They have been offered symbols of patriotism and good cheer, according to the White House.
Who was the first president to pardon a turkey?
President Abraham Lincoln may have spared the first turkey from becoming a Christmas dinner in 1863, according to a dispatch in 1865 by White House reporter Noah Brooks. As the story goes, Lincoln's son Tad lobbied to save a turkey the Lincolns planned to serve for dinner. The account, however, may be akin to George Washington and the cherry tree, according to the White House Historical Association.
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No official pardon from President Harry Truman
President Harry S. Truman has been frequently credited as being the first to pardon turkeys, but the events appear as if they were just staged photos with gifted turkeys from the National Turkey Federation. But they did begin the official turkey presentation from the poultry industry.
The Truman Library even once released a statement saying that "staff has found no documents, speeches, newspaper clippings, photographs or other contemporary records in our holdings which refer to Truman pardoning a turkey that he received as a gift in 1947, or at any other time during his presidency," according to History.com.
A pardon by President John F. Kennedy
According to the White House Historical Association, John F. Kennedy was the first president to pardon a turkey. In a Washington Post article in 1963, Kennedy had said, "Let's keep him going," referring to the turkey. The words "pardon" and "reprieve" were used.
It wasn't until Ronald Reagan's administration that delivering gifted turkeys back to a farm became common practice. A couple of first ladies also sent their gifted birds to regional farms, according to the White House:
◾ Patricia Nixon accepted the turkeys on Richard Nixon's behalf during the last years of his administration. She presented the bird to Oxon Hill (Maryland) Children's Farm in 1973.
◾ Rosalynn Carter and President Jimmy Carter made a similar trip in 1978 to pardon a turkey in a small zoo at Evans Farm Inn in Virginia.
The first official presidential pardon for a Thanksgiving turkey
Still, it wasn't until George H.W. Bush's administration that pardoning turkeys became a formal tradition. According to the White House Historical Society, Bush had stated the following about the turkey on Nov. 17, 1989:
Since 1989, more than 30 turkeys that have been officially pardoned by presidents in the White House. An estimated 46 million turkeys will be on U.S. dinner tables this Thanksgiving, according to WalletHub.com.
This story was updated to add new information.
CONTRIBUTING Olivia Munson
SOURCE The White House Historical Association, History.com, Smithsonian Magazine and Paste BN research