How presidential turkey ‘pardoning’ came to be
While millions of American families will feature a turkey at the center of their feast on Thursday, one pair of lucky birds will be spared this roasted fate via a presidential pardon.
The annual “pardoning” of a turkey is a popular staple of White House Thanksgiving celebrations. Democratic and Republican leaders alike have granted pardons to a group of fortunate turkeys, but don’t worry, they haven’t actually been convicted of any crimes.
President Joe Biden has so far given a reprieve to six birds, Peanut Butter and Jelly in 2021; Chocolate and Chip last year; and Liberty and Bell this year.
But when did this tradition start? And which American president was the first to extend his pardon powers to Thanksgiving poultry?
Each year, two birds – the official Thanksgiving turkey and an alternate – are selected and sent to Washington, D.C., where the president spares them from being served alongside the stuffing and cranberry sauce.
This year, the pair comes from Willmar, Minnesota.
Ahead of meeting the president, the birds receive the celebrity treatment, including a stay in the capital’s luxury Willard InterContinental Washington Hotel.
And after their pardoning, the turkeys will be relocated to a farm and left to live out the rest of their days unharmed.
Turkeys were popular Thanksgiving gifts to the White House for decades.
But former President John F. Kennedy in 1963 became the first president on record to extend Thanksgiving clemency, telling attendees at that year’s official turkey presentation, “Let’s keep him going.”
Kennedy set the pardon precedent, and the act became a norm during former President Ronald Reagan’s administration in the 1980s, according to the White House Historical Association.
But the tradition was formally established by President George H.W. Bush in 1989.
“Let me assure you and this fine tom turkey,” Bush said during the ceremony that year, as animal rights activists picketed near the White House, “that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table.”