Compliments of Wikimedia Commons
From commanders-in-chief to broad-breasted turkeys, it’s the annual duty of every U.S. President. As President Obama said in 2010, “I am sworn to uphold, as the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth . . . the awesome responsibility of granting a Presidential pardon to a pair of turkeys.”
A pardon is an official act of forgiveness. Whether it’s for a lawbreaker who wants to avoid jail or a turkey who wants to avoid the dinner table, a pardon “saves” them. There are infamous pardons for turkeys like Richard Nixon, Paul Manafort and birds Chocolate and Chip.
According to The Constitution, a U.S. President has the power to “grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States.” Pardoning turkeys during the holiday season makes sense – it’s a light-hearted tradition including humor, names, political punches, and some serious photo ops.
President Obama said in his 2016 pardon of Tater and Tot (Tater was Tot’s backup), “Let’s get on with the pardoning – everybody knows that Thanksgiving traffic can put people in a fowl mood.”
President Barack Obama, Compliments of Wikimedia Commons
Many historians trace the tradition of pardoning turkeys to President Abraham Lincoln. According to The White House Historical Association, in an 1865 dispatch from Noah Brooks, the President declared clemency for a turkey named Jack. Jack was slated for the family Christmas dinner. Lincoln’s son, Tad, had made Jack his pet. The boy couldn’t face Jack being roasted. Tad, sobbing, burst into a Cabinet Meeting and cried, “Jack must not be killed; it is wicked.”
The President paused, seeing the distress in his son. He wrote on a card that the turkey should be saved. Tad raced to the butcher and Jack was safe.
President Lincoln and son Tad, Compliments of Wikimedia Commons
Legend or truth?
Many years later, Presidents Clinton and Bush told the story. In 2015, President Obama pardoned turkeys Honest and Abe.
Turkeys have been sent to The White House as holiday gifts since the 1870s. Did Jack have anything to do with that? Janet Loehrke and Jim Sergent wrote in USA Today “They have been offered as symbols of patriotism and good cheer.”
Some say that it was Harry S. Truman, in 1948, who made it official. Probably because Truman appeared in many photo ops with turkeys from the National Turkey Federation. Truman accepted the gifted turkeys and said they will “come in handy for Christmas dinner.”
Not much of a pardon.
President John F. Kennedy was probably the first to use the words “pardon” and “reprieve” in 1963. A 55-pound white tom was standing on top of his cage with a sign around his neck.
Good Eating, Mr. President
The President took one look at the fated fowl and said, with a grin, “We’ll just let this one grow.” The turkey thrived but a few days later the President, tragically, was assassinated.
Turkey pardons became a formal tradition in 1989 with President George H.W. Bush. He proclaimed, “Let me assure you and this fine tom turkey that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table. He’s granted a presidential pardon as of right now.”
President George H.W. Bush, Compliments of Wikimedia Commons
What does it take to become the Elon Musk of turkeys – from 205 million turkeys raised annually in the U.S.?
The chosen birds usually come from the farm of the National Turkey Federation chairperson. They’re selected for their ability to handle loud noises, flash photography, and crowds. Many are exposed to music. Some claim that the elite turkeys favor country and classic rock. They’re often raised in special farm “suites.”
10 to 20 of the best preened and behaved turkeys are selected. Two finalists are then chosen. Their names are picked by White House Staff and children in the state where the turkeys come from.
After the fun, politics emerge. In 2018 Donald Trump pardoned “Peas and Carrots” with the statement, “Unfortunately Carrots refused to concede and demanded a recount and we’re still fighting with Carrots . . . I have warned them that House Democrats are likely to issue them both subpoenas.”
Lame-duck President Joe Biden, gave his final turkey pardon in 2024. He grinned at the cameras and said optimistically, “Based on your temperament and being productive members of society, I hereby pardon Peach and Blossom . . . keep calm and gobble on.”
Who do you think he was talking to?
