The Origin of the Turkey Pardoning

Every year, just before Thanksgiving, a lucky turkey (or two) gets the golden ticket; the presidential turkey pardon. But how did this odd tradition come about?

How Did the Pardoning Start?

In early America, turkeys were often donated to the president as a gift from private citizens. It’s said that President Abraham Lincoln was the first to unofficially pardon one, at the urging of his ten-year-old son Tad.

Others claim President Harry Truman started the turkey pardon because that was the first time a turkey was officially gifted by the National Turkey Federation. That said, the turkey he is petting above actually ended up on his Thanksgiving table.

President George H.W. Bush made the pardon official in 1989. “Let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table. Not this guy,” Bush famously said.

Day in the Life of a Pardoned Turkey

To this day, the National Turkey Federation (NTF) provides a turkey to be pardoned by the White House. They are driven to the Willard InterContinental Hotel in D.C. and get a (literal) red carpet welcome by hotel staff. They spend the night in their own climate-controlled hotel suite, where they like to watch the local news, Beth Breeding from the NTF told us.

Then they head over to the White House, where they have to undergo a rigorous security screening before waiting for the president in the White House rose garden.

What Happens After the Pardoning?

For the past several years, the turkeys have been sent to universities that have strong animal science agriculture programs, where they help promote agricultural education. Sadly, however, meat turkeys have a very short lifespan. The NFT says a pardoned bird is lucky to live two years after it’s saved by the President. RIP.