hanksgiving Turkey Traditions at the White House

1. Thanksgiving Turkey Traditions at the White House

by Mark Hughes

2.

• Since 1947, The National Turkey Federation (NTF)
and The Poultry and Egg National Board (PENB)
have donated a turkey to the White House each
Thanksgiving—a tradition that is often confused
with the Thanksgiving presidential turkey pardon.
• Officially, the presidential turkey pardon began
during George H.W. Bush's first Thanksgiving in
the White House in 1989. Prior to that event,
presidents were more likely to eat the donated
birds rather than spare them.

3. Harry Truman

Turkey fact: The average
lifespan of domesticated
turkeys is 18-24 months.
Wild turkeys typically live
3 to 4 years.
• President Harry Truman was in
office when the NTF and PENB
began donating turkeys to the
White House in 1947.
• Recent presidents have said that
the tradition of pardoning a
turkey began with Truman, but
archivists of the Harry S. Truman
Presidential Library and Museum
have "found no documents,
speeches, newspaper clippings,
photographs, or other
contemporary records in our
holdings which refer to Truman
pardoning a turkey."
• This photograph shows a turkey
given to Truman by the NTF
before it ended up on the dinner
table.

4. Dwight D. Eisenhower

• Documents from President Dwight
Eisenhower's first term in office
indicate that the live turkey he
received was then killed, dressed,
and frozen.
• This photograph is from
Eisenhower's first Thanksgiving as
president, in 1953.
• During his second term, the turkey
tradition changed; the turkey
presented to the president was
not the same bird that was later
eaten in the White House. "In
1960, the files clearly show that a
Turkey fact: Turkeys are
live bird was brought in for a
approximately 22 weeks old
when they participate in the
photo op and a separate 'dressed
White House ceremony. There
turkey' was left at the White
are always two turkeys: one for House for the President,"
the ceremony and one as its
according to presidential archives.
runner-up.

5. John F. Kennedy

Turkey fact: Wild turkeys can fly
short distances at speeds up to 55
miles per hour. Most domesticated
turkeys cannot fly since they
typically weigh more than twice the
weight of wild turkeys.
• When President John F.
Kennedy was presented
with a bird wearing a sign
that read "Good Eatin' Mr.
President" he responded
with "Let's just keep him."
• This photograph was
taken three days before
President Kennedy was
assassinated on 22
November 1963 in Dallas,
Texas.

6. Richard Nixon

Turkey fact: Domesticated
turkeys are bred and raised to
become fat fast. This often
causes joint problems for older
turkeys whose bones have
trouble supporting the weight.
• President Richard Nixon
did a photo shoot every
year with the donated
turkey, but there is no
record that any of the
birds were spared.
• Nixon does have the
distinction of being the
first vice president to
accept the donated turkey
on the president's behalf,
which he did in 1955 for
President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.

7. Gerald Ford

• Ford never pardoned any
turkeys, but he did pardon his
predecessor—Richard Nixon.
• This photograph seems to
show President Ford looking
hungrily at the turkey in 1975.
Turkey fact: The flap of skin over a
turkey's beak is called a snood.
Snoods on domestic turkeys remain
red, but the snoods of wild turkeys
change color from red to blue
depending on the bird's mood.

8. Ronald Reagan

• Turkeys chosen for the
White House are usually
fairly docile, but that
wasn't the case in 1984.
During the ceremonial
speech, the turkey got
right in President
Reagan's face and
flapped its wings,
Turkey fact: Wild turkeys are
the biggest game birds in North showing intense
America. They can stand almost displeasure at the whole
four feet tall and can run about
affair.
25 miles per hour.

9. George H.W. Bush

Turkey fact: The domesticated
turkeys that are brought to
Washington, D.C. for the
ceremony spend the night before
the pardon in the Hotel
Washington, where they feast on
a scrumptious meal of corn and
soybean.
• The turkey "will not end
up on anyone's dinner
table, not this guy. He's
granted a presidential
pardon as of right now,"
said George H.W. Bush
whose announcement in
1989 inaugurated the
first official Thanksgiving
presidential turkey
pardon.
• In 1990, the practice of
sending the "pardoned"
bird to Frying Pan Park in
Fairfax County, Virginia
began.

10. Bill Clinton

Turkey Fact: During his two
terms as president, Clinton
met eight turkeys and came
to believe that each one had
a distinct personality.
• In 1999, the turkey
President Clinton
"pardoned" was named
Harry, after former
president Harry S. Truman.
During his speech, Clinton
said, "So before I feast on
one of the 45 million
turkeys who will make the
ultimate sacrifice, let me
give this one a permanent
reprieve, and tell you all
that he will soon be on his
way to the wonderful
petting zoo at Fairfax
County, Virginia, where he
can enjoy his golden years."

11. George W. Bush

Turkey Fact: Female turkeys
are called hens, males are
called toms, and babies are
called poults.
• Several notable events
concerning the "pardoning" of
turkeys occurred while George
W. Bush was president. It was
during his administration that
the first hen, or female turkey,
was given a reprieve in 2002.
The hen was named "Katie."
• In 2005 and 2006, the tradition
of sending the turkeys to
Frying Pan Park also changed;
those years the turkey was
flown to Disneyland where the
bird was named Grand
Marshall of the Thanksgiving
Day Parade before taking up
residence at the resort's
permanent live-animal
collection. In 2007, the turkey
went to Disney World.