Ever watched the president stand in the Rose Garden, crack a few terrible "fowl" puns, and wave a hand over a giant, confused-looking bird? It’s a bizarre American ritual. Most of us think the presidential pardon of the turkey has been around forever, maybe since the pilgrims or at least since Lincoln. Honestly, the truth is way more chaotic. It involves a massive lobbyist protest, a president who actually wanted to eat the bird, and a 1980s scandal that forced the word "pardon" into the official vocabulary.
You’ve probably heard the story about Abraham Lincoln sparing a turkey because his son Tad fell in love with it. That’s the "legend" version. While Tad Lincoln did supposedly name a turkey "Jack" and begged for its life in 1863, that was a one-off family moment, not a national tradition. For most of U.S. history, if someone sent the president a turkey, it ended up on a platter. No mercy. No cameras. Just gravy.
The 1947 "Poultryless Thursday" Disaster
The real, messy origin of the presidential pardon of the turkey didn't start with kindness. It started with a fight over grain.
In 1947, President Harry Truman was trying to help a starving, post-WWII Europe. He launched a campaign asking Americans to participate in "Meatless Tuesdays" and "Poultryless Thursdays." Sounds noble, right? Well, the poultry industry absolutely lost it. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day all fell on a Thursday that year. The industry saw this as an all-out war on their bottom line.
In protest, farmers sent crates of live chickens to the White House. They called them "Hens for Harry." To smooth things over, the National Turkey Federation (NTF) and the Poultry and Egg National Board presented Truman with a massive live turkey that December.
But here is the thing: Truman didn’t pardon it.
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The Truman Library is very clear about this. They have no records of a pardon. In fact, Truman later told reporters that the turkeys he received would "come in handy" for dinner. He ate them. So did Eisenhower. Ike reportedly received "dressed" turkeys (meaning they were already plucked and ready for the oven) because he had no interest in the live spectacle.
Kennedy, Reagan, and the "Pardon" Pivot
If Truman didn't do it, who did?
In 1963, John F. Kennedy received a 55-pound bird wearing a sign that literally said "Good Eating, Mr. President." In a moment of spontaneity just three days before his trip to Dallas, Kennedy looked at the bird and said, "We’ll just let this one grow." The media used the word "pardon" in their headlines, but JFK never used the term himself.
The tradition of sparing the bird started to stick during the Nixon and Carter years, mostly thanks to the First Ladies. Pat Nixon and Rosalynn Carter began sending the gift turkeys to petting zoos like Oxon Hill Children’s Farm. But the word "pardon" was still missing from the official script.
Then came Ronald Reagan. In 1987, Reagan was being grilled by reporters about the Iran-Contra scandal. Specifically, they wanted to know if he was going to pardon Oliver North. Reagan, ever the master of the pivot, pointed at "Charlie," the turkey he’d just been presented with, and joked that he’d pardon him instead. It was a literal joke to dodge a political bullet.
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George H.W. Bush Makes It "Official"
It wasn't until 1989 that the presidential pardon of the turkey became a formal, yearly requirement. George H.W. Bush was standing in the Rose Garden with animal rights activists picketing nearby. He looked at the nervous bird and said:
"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."
Since that moment, it’s been a locked-in tradition. Every president since has followed the script, though they’ve added their own flair. Bill Clinton brought school children into the mix. Barack Obama became the king of the "dad joke" version, often with his daughters Sasha and Malia looking visibly embarrassed in the background.
The Secret Life of the "Alternate" Turkey
You might notice there are always two turkeys. They stay at a fancy hotel (often the Willard InterContinental in D.C.) and get their own press conference.
Basically, there’s a "National Thanksgiving Turkey" and an "Alternate." The alternate is there in case the primary bird gets stage fright, acts aggressive, or—to put it bluntly—has a health crisis before the cameras roll. Both birds get pardoned, but only one is the "star."
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The selection process is actually pretty intense. The birds are chosen from a "presidential flock" of about 50 to 80 turkeys. They are trained from a young age to handle loud noises, bright camera flashes, and the general chaos of a crowd. Essentially, they are the "top 1%" of well-behaved turkeys.
What Happens After the Rose Garden?
This is where the story gets a bit somber. While the presidential pardon of the turkey saves them from the oven, it doesn't grant them immortality. Commercial turkeys, specifically the Broad Breasted White variety used for the ceremony, are bred for one thing: size.
They grow so large, so fast, that their hearts and joints usually can't keep up. In the past, pardoned turkeys were sent to places like Frying Pan Farm Park or even Disneyland (where they served as grand marshals of the parade). Most of those birds didn't live more than a year past their pardon.
Lately, the White House has been sending them to universities with poultry science programs, like:
- Virginia Tech
- Iowa State University
- Purdue University
- NC State (where the 2022 and 2025 birds reside)
- University of Minnesota (home of the 2023 birds, Liberty and Bell)
The 2024 pardoned birds, Peach and Blossom, were sent to the Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center. While they are living their "best lives" with top-tier veterinary care, these birds are still significantly overweight—the 2024 birds were reported at 50 and 60 pounds by late 2025.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
If you want to see the "pardoned" legacy for yourself or dive deeper into the lore, here’s how to do it:
- Visit the "Retirement Homes": Many of the universities that host the birds, like Virginia Tech’s "Gobblers Rest," have public viewing areas or educational programs where you can see how the birds are cared for.
- Check the National Archives: If you’re a real nerd for the details, the Truman and Eisenhower libraries have digitized their records showing exactly how the "gift" turkeys were handled before the pardon era (including the menus they appeared on).
- The Willard Hotel: If you're in D.C. during the week before Thanksgiving, you can often see the "red carpet" arrival of the turkeys at the Willard InterContinental. It’s a hilarious, high-security event for two birds.
- Fact-Check the Myths: Next time someone says Truman started the pardon, you can politely correct them with the "Poultryless Thursday" story. It’s a great way to win a Thanksgiving debate.
The presidential pardon of the turkey is a strange mix of high-stakes lobbying history and lighthearted theater. It’s the one day a year where the Commander in Chief takes orders from a bird, and honestly, that’s about as American as it gets.