The Independent reports that every year during Thanksgiving, the President of the United States carries out a tradition involving the pardoning of a turkey. In other words, this turkey will not be turned into a meal for the Thanksgiving holiday.
In November 2022, CNN reported that President Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys named Chocolate and Chip. He decided to hold the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. According to the Obama White House Archives, it is believed that Abraham Lincoln may have been the first president to pardon a turkey. However, it took many years for subsequent presidents to adopt this custom.
Two turkeys, Chocolate and Chip.
The White House Historical Association explains that turkeys were often given to presidents in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Then, in 1947, the National Turkey Federation presented the then-President Harry Truman with a turkey (according to CNN). Although Truman did not officially pardon these turkeys, he began the annual turkey presentation ceremony, which continues to this day. President John F. Kennedy later continued the practice of pardoning turkeys in 1963. Instead of using the term “pardon,” he stated: “Let them live.”
The first to use the phrase “turkey pardon” was former President Ronald Reagan. Starting in 1982, Reagan began sending the gifted turkeys to farms or zoos.
Since then, the White House Historical Association notes that the turkeys given to Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan were not served at the dinner table and were informally pardoned. According to the Obama White House Archives, President George H.W. Bush made the turkey pardon a formal tradition in 1989.
According to CNN, the turkeys presented to the president are raised alongside those intended for consumption. About 50-80 “well-adjusted” turkeys that are comfortable with crowds, noise, and camera flashes are selected by the National Turkey Federation. The list is then narrowed down to two “candidates,” which are named by students or White House officials.
Instead of being taken to the kitchen and slaughtered, NewsNation notes that the pardoned turkeys find new homes across the country, where they can live freely for the rest of their lives.
The White House Historical Association states that the turkeys informally pardoned during the Nixon, Carter, and Reagan administrations were sent to various farms. According to the Obama White House Archives, the turkey pardoned by President George H.W. Bush was sent to Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Virginia. In 2015, Honest and Abe, two turkeys pardoned by President Obama, found a new home at Morven Park, Virginia (according to Inside Edition).
WAMU reported that many other turkeys have also been pardoned, including Bread and Butter, which were pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2019, and they lived out their days at Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Rami Dalloul, a professor at the school, said: “We joke around campus that these turkeys are provided free room and board, as well as free education.” The turkeys pardoned by Obama and Trump in 2016 and 2017 were also sent there (according to Inside Edition).
According to NewsNation, some pardoned turkeys have been sent to Disneyland and Disney World. Other turkeys, like Corn and Cob, pardoned in 2020, were sent to Iowa State University (according to The Independent). For Chocolate and Chip, CNN reported that their new home will be North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
Since they are raised for consumption, the turkeys that escape the president’s table do not live long because their rich diet makes them too fat.
NewsNation reported that until 2013, some pardoned turkeys were sent to Mount Vernon, the historic home of George Washington. However, these turkeys were kept secret because they were not “historically accurate.” Although the turkeys may survive Thanksgiving, they will still die shortly after being pardoned. Dean Norton, director of horticulture at Mount Vernon, noted, “Turkeys are raised for eating, not for longevity.” He added, “Some pardoned turkeys have lived quite briefly.” In fact, Peace, as well as Cobbler and Gobbler—turkeys pardoned in 2011 and 2012, respectively—died a few months after arriving at Mount Vernon.
According to The Independent, pardoned turkeys do not live long because they are raised on farms. Norton explains: “Americans want a turkey with a lot of meat, so they are fed a high-protein diet, which makes them quite large. However, their internal organs are actually suited for a smaller size. Therefore, in the end, they do not live as long as wild turkeys.“ In 2019, Rami Dalloul from Virginia Tech echoed this sentiment, stating (according to WAMU), “These turkeys typically only live about a year, or longer if they are lucky.”
