Pardon me!
A brief visual history of presidents who spared their turkeys from certain death
Thanksgiving: A day of food, family, and football.
Or fear, if you're a turkey.
Each year, though, one lucky bird beats the odds — and meets the president in the process. But the White House pardoning ceremony is — officially, at least — a pretty recent tradition.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
President George H.W. Bush offered the first formal fowl pardon in 1989. He casually announced the bird had "been granted a presidential pardon as of right now" and then sent the turkey to Frying Pan Park (seriously) in Herndon, Va., which is still the retirement home of choice for the birds.
The gesture caught on, and presidents have since held a pardoning ceremony each year for one bird (while a backup waits in the wings in case of stage fright).
But informally, the tradition may be even older. Abraham Lincoln's son Tad is rumored to have begged his father to allow a turkey meant for Christmas dinner to live. John F. Kennedy, meanwhile, opted out of dressing the White House bird in 1963, saying, "We'll just let this one grow." And Richard Nixon instituted the tradition of sending the birds to a petting zoo after the photo ops were finished.
Most earlier presidents weren't quite so forgiving, though, a fact President Obama mentioned during his 2009 pardon: "Thanks to the intervention of Malia and Sasha — because I was ready to eat this sucker — Courage will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate," he said. "I'm told Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson actually ate their turkeys."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"You can't fault them for that," Obama added. "That's a good-looking bird."
Below, a selection of presidents giving their turkeys a pass — and one image of Ike plotting the best glaze for his bird.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
-
Four key tax changes to prepare for in April
The Explainer With time running out, a last-minute checklist could help you make the most of your allowances
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Katespiracy: is the media to blame?
Talking Point Public statement about cancer diagnosis followed weeks of wild speculation and conspiracy theories
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Xi-Biden meeting: what's in it for both leaders?
Today's Big Question Two superpowers seek to stabilise relations amid global turmoil but core issues of security, trade and Taiwan remain
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will North Korea take advantage of Israel-Hamas conflict?
Today's Big Question Pyongyang's ties with Russia are 'growing and dangerous' amid reports it sent weapons to Gaza
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published