Which president started the tradition of pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey? Which president started the tradition of pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey? Although Presidents John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, along with First Ladies Thelma “Pat” Nixon and Rosalynn Carter, pardoned Thanksgiving turkeys, the modern turkey pardon did not become an annual tradition until the George H W Bush administration
Thanksgiving at the White House Thanksgiving at the White House is a quiet holiday for the president's family, featuring a meal that traditionally included turkey, Chesapeake Bay oysters, rockfish from the Potomac, terrapin from the Eastern shore, cranberries from Cape Cod, and mince and pumpkin pies
History of White House Thanksgiving Traditions The turkey made the rest of the trip to the White House by train In 1922—President Warren G Harding’s last Thanksgiving at the White House—the Harding Girls Club of Chicago sent another turkey on a wild ride Supreme III, who the girls fattened on chocolates, took a sensational, record-breaking road trip
Thanksgiving: President Kennedy Pardons a Turkey President John F Kennedy laughs with officials at the presentation of a Thanksgiving turkey by the National Turkey Federation and the Poultry and Egg National Board in the Rose Garden
White House Pets - White House Historical Association Fun Facts: Tad Lincoln saves Jack the Turkey: In 1863, ten-year-old Tad Lincoln befriended a turkey sent to the White House for a holiday feast He named the bird Jack and treated him as a pet As Christmas day approached, Tad realized it would soon be time to prepare the turkey for Christmas dinner The young boy burst into the cabinet meeting in tears and pleaded with his father to pardon
Turkey Traditions at the White House President John F Kennedy laughs with officials at the presentation of a Thanksgiving turkey by the National Turkey Federation and the Poultry and Egg National Board in the Rose Garden of the White House on November 19, 1963
Thanksgiving: President George H. W. Bush Pardons a Turkey Thanksgiving: President George H W Bush Pardons a Turkey President Bush participates in the presentation and pardoning of the National Thanksgiving Turkey in the Rose Garden of the White House His grandson, Sam Leblond (foreground) pet the turkey during the ceremony
Champion Turkeys for the Hoovers - White House Historical Association The origin of the presidential turkey pardon is said to have started with President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, after he offered a clemency to a turkey purchased for Christmas dinner at his son's request However, the pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration Photographer Unknown Date
Thanksgiving: President Clinton Pardons a Turkey President Clinton pats the turkey before pardoning it on November 24, 1999 in the Rose Garden Clinton said in a speech in Bosnia the day before “…They bring me a big turkey and
White House Thanksgiving Turkeys in the Roaring 20s Yet in the 1920s, true to its reputation as a fast-paced era that saw major technological and cultural change, the turkey gift tradition became national news In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson spent his last Thanksgiving in the White House The presidential election had been decided a few weeks earlier, but another contest took place on the White House lawn: a “spirited battle” between the