The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is a ceremony that takes place at the
White House every year shortly before
Thanksgiving. The
president of the United States is presented with a live
domestic turkey by the
National Turkey Federation (NTF), usually males of the
Broad Breasted White variety. The early years also included a joint presentation with the Poultry and Egg National Board. The ceremony dates back to the 1940s; these turkeys were usually slaughtered and eaten (with some exceptions) prior to the 1970s, when it became standard practice to spare the turkey. During the presidency of
George H. W. Bush, it became a tradition (since carried on by all of Bush's successors) for the president to issue a ceremonial "
pardon" to the turkey.[1] It is a tradition that the turkeys be picked from the chairperson of the NTF's home state, occasionally from the chair's own farm.
History
Turkeys had been donated to the president as gifts from private citizens. Horace Vose, a Rhode Island turkey farmer, presented a dressed turkey to the president each year from 1873 until his death in 1913.[2] In 1913,
South Trimble, a Kentucky farmer and
Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, presented a turkey to then-president
Woodrow Wilson that year, convinced that his red pepper-fed but smaller turkey tasted better than Vose's; no record survives of which turkey Wilson chose. This, along with Vose's death that December, set off a free-for-all in which numerous farmers tried to be the one to supply the annual holiday turkeys to the president.[3] The rivalry escalated in the
Roaring Twenties, with a group of women
Warren G. Harding supporters from
Chicago sending Harding turkeys (including in 1920 when he was still president-elect and at the
Panama Canal Zone; the turkey was delivered by train), while
Cuero, Texas also sent Wilson and Harding turkeys. The Cuero turkeys were notable for being the first to be sent while still alive; the Wilson administration slaughtered and ate the bird.
Calvin Coolidge, alarmed at the number of turkeys being offered to the president at the time, briefly stopped the tradition upon assuming office in 1923 and chose to buy his own turkey; he relented in 1925 and was soon bombarded with an unusual array of animals to eat, including
Rebecca, a live raccoon that Coolidge received in 1926 and, unwilling to eat it, designated as a
White House pet.[4]
The official presentation of a turkey to the president each year began in 1947 under President
Harry S. Truman. The presentation was partially born out of a
lobbying campaign: the Truman administration, in an effort to conserve grain for foreign aid campaigns, began promoting "
Meatless Tuesdays" and "Poultryless Thursdays" in the autumn of 1947. Not only did American citizens quickly grow frustrated with the (voluntary, but strongly encouraged) restrictions and begin disregarding them in short order, the National Poultry and Egg Board, incensed at the attack on their industry, noted that not only was Thanksgiving on a Thursday, but
Christmas and
New Year's Day also landed on a Thursday that year. A truce was called in the dispute in early November, before the Thanksgiving holiday, but "Eggless Thursdays" continued to be promoted for the rest of the year, meaning that dishes such as
pumpkin pie, another Thanksgiving staple, were still on the forbidden foods list.[5] Records on file at the
Truman Library show that Truman publicly admitted eating at least some of the turkeys.[1][6]
The
Eisenhower Presidential Library says documents in their collection reveal that President
Dwight Eisenhower ate the birds presented to him during his two terms. President
John F. Kennedy spontaneously spared a turkey on November 19, 1963,[7] just three days before his
assassination. The bird was wearing a sign reading, "Good Eating Mr. President". Kennedy returned the massive 55-pound (25 kg) turkey to the farm, saying "we'll let this one grow."[8] Scattered reports in The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times referred to it as a pardon, but Kennedy did not refer to it as such.[9] Likewise,
Richard Nixon also spared some of the turkeys given to him during his time as president.[10][11] During the
Carter administration, First Lady
Rosalynn Carter arranged to have the turkeys sent to petting zoos, and no public ceremonies were held.[11][12]
The first president on record issuing a "pardon" to his turkey was
Ronald Reagan. Reagan had been sending the turkeys presented to him to farms and zoos since at least 1982,[11] and 1987's turkey, Charlie, was likewise headed to a
petting zoo. At the time, Reagan was facing questions over the
Iran-Contra affair, on whether or not he would consider pardoning
Oliver North (who had yet to be tried for his involvement in the affair); Reagan conjured the notion of the turkey pardon as a joke to deflect those questions.[1][13] Reagan did not make any pardon references in the 1988 presentation, but his successor,
George H. W. Bush, instituted the turkey pardon as a permanent part of the presentation beginning his first year in office, 1989.[14][2] The phrase "presidential pardon" in that ceremony was apparently inserted by a speechwriter; Bush initially was indifferent to the terminology, saying "'Reprieve', 'keep him going', or 'pardon': it's all the same for the turkey, as long as he doesn't end up on the president's holiday table."[11]
For many years the turkeys were sent to
Frying Pan Farm Park in
Fairfax County, Virginia. From 2005 to 2009, the pardoned turkeys were sent to either the
Disneyland Resort in
California or the
Walt Disney World Resort in
Florida, where they served as the honorary grand marshals of Disney's
Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 2010, 2011 and 2012,[15] the turkeys were sent to live at
Mount Vernon, the estate and home of
George Washington; Mount Vernon stopped displaying and accepting the turkeys due to the fact that they violated the estate's policy of maintaining its own
historical accuracy (Washington never farmed turkeys). The 2013, 2014 and 2015 turkeys were sent to
Morven Park in
Leesburg, Virginia, the estate of former
Virginia governor (and prolific turkey farmer)
Westmoreland Davis.[16]Virginia Tech has housed the turkeys from 2016 to 2019;[17] Virginia Tech was chosen because of the college's poultry science program, and the National Turkey Federation wanted to begin a tradition of cooperation between the turkey industry and universities.[18] After four successful years at Virginia Tech, the alma mater of the chairman of the NTF at the time, the federation chose to begin housing the turkeys at universities closer to the turkeys' home towns.[19] The 2020 turkeys were sent to be housed at
Iowa State University,[20] the 2021 turkeys reside at
Purdue University,[21] the 2022 turkeys live at
North Carolina State University.[22] and the 2023 turkeys are housed at the
University of Minnesota.[23]
Selection process
The turkeys are raised in the same fashion as turkeys designated for slaughter and are fed a grain-heavy diet of fortified corn and soybeans to increase the birds' size.[16] A flock of between 50 and 80 birds, typically from the farm of the current National Turkey Federation chairperson, are selected to be acclimated to handle loud noises, flash photography and large crowds; from the flock, the 10 to 20 best-preened and best-behaved are chosen and eventually narrowed down to two finalists, whose names are chosen by the White House staff from suggestions by school children from the state where they were raised.[24] The two finalists are then transported to Washington, where they stay at the
Willard InterContinental Washington Hotel at National Turkey Federation expense before being pardoned in a ceremony at the White House. Turkey hens are usually marketed at 14 weeks and weigh 15.5 pounds (7.0 kg) when processed. This compares to the tom, which takes 18 weeks to reach a market weight of 38 pounds (17 kg).[25] The turkeys for the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation are usually 21 week-old toms (males) weighing 45 pounds (20 kg) by the time of their White House visit, compared to the shorter growing period for turkeys destined for market.
Broad Breasted White turkeys are bred for large size, are sedentary animals and have a predilection for overeating,[26] making them prone to
health problems associated with obesity such as heart disease, respiratory failure, joint damage and reduced life spans compared to
wild or
heritage turkeys. For many years, the pardoned turkeys were documented to have very short lives after their pardoning, frequently dying within a year of being pardoned;[16][27] for comparison, heritage turkey breeds have lifespans on par with those of wild turkeys, at least five years.[28] The lifespans of the pardoned turkeys have steadily improved in recent years, frequently having lifespans of over two years and occasionally reaching three years of age, an improvement attributed to better choices of homes after the pardons; rather than serving solely as tourist attractions, the turkeys are now placed in the care of experts who make conscious efforts to maintain the turkeys' health for as long as possible.
List of turkeys pardoned
Reagan presidency
1984: "Robust and Juicy" (R.J.), a 53-pound turkey grown by John Hendricks of
Shelby, North Carolina.[29]
1987: "Charlie", the first "pardoned" turkey, was sent to a
petting zoo in 1987.[1]
2000: "Jerry the Turkey", a 45-pound (20 kg) bird from
Barron, Wisconsin. The pardoned turkey (the eighth in Clinton's presidency) and its unnamed alternate were both sent to Kidwell Farm's petting zoo in Herndon, Virginia.[33]
George W. Bush presidency
2001: Liberty and his back-up Freedom, so named in the wake of the
9/11 attacks. They weighed 48 and 52 pounds (22 and 24 kg), respectively.[34]
2002: Katie, the first-ever female turkey pardoned. The 30-pound (14 kg) bird bred by Ron Prestage, chairman of the
National Turkey Federation, as well as alternate bird Zack. The turkeys were named after Prestage's children.[35]
2005: Marshmallow and alternate bird Yam, raised in
Henning, Minnesota. Beginning in 2005 pardoned birds were sent to Disneyland to live, and serve as the "honorary grand marshal" of that year's Thanksgiving's Day parade, following concerns raised by animal rights groups that the birds had not survived for long. For the previous 15 years they had been sent to
Frying Pan Farm Park near
Herndon, Virginia.[37] Names were generally chosen in online votes taken at the White House website.
2006: Flyer and alternate bird Fryer, raised in
Missouri.[38]
2007: 45-pound (20 kg) May and backup Flower, raised in
Indiana.[39]
2008: 45-pound (20 kg) backup "vice" turkey named Pumpkin, after the number one turkey Pecan fell ill the night before the ceremony. Both turkeys were allowed to live.[40][41]
Obama presidency
2009: Courage, a 45-pound turkey provided by the
National Turkey Federation, and alternate bird Carolina, raised in
North Carolina.[42] Passing away in 2016, Courage lived to be over 6 years of age, an unusual feat for any turkey but especially commercial breeds. A spokesperson for Disneyland, where Courage was sent to spend his remaining years, credits his long life to changing the bird's diet from the typical soy- and corn-heavy feed of commercial farms to a more balanced natural diet, allowing him to lose much of the excess weight that causes strain to both the limbs and organs of these birds.[3]
2010: Apple, a 45-pound turkey from
Foster Farms in
Modesto, California; and alternate bird Cider.[43] Both had died of natural causes by Thanksgiving 2011.[27]
2011: A 45-pound turkey named Liberty and an alternate bird named Peace, both of which were raised in
Willmar, Minnesota.[44] Peace survived until shortly before Thanksgiving 2012, when he was euthanized.[45] Liberty survived until being euthanized April 26, 2013 at the age of 2.[46]
2012: Cobbler and Gobbler, both 40-pound (18 kg) turkeys from
Rockingham County, Virginia.[47][48] Gobbler died suddenly in February 2013; Cobbler was euthanized on August 22 of that year.[8][46]
2013: Popcorn, a 38-pound (17 kg) turkey from
Badger, Minnesota. Popcorn won an online contest over its identically sized stablemate Caramel, which was also spared.[49] Popcorn died of
heatstroke in summer 2014. Caramel survived much longer; it outlived one of the next year's turkeys and did not die until October 2015, spending most of its two years of life at Morven Park as the companion of a brown
heritage turkey named Franklin.[50][51]
2014: Cheese and alternate bird Mac, both of which were 48-pound (22 kg) turkeys from
Fort Recovery, Ohio.[52][53] Mac died of suspected heatstroke in July 2015; Cheese remained alive as of November 2015, with the surviving Franklin as its companion.[51] Cheese was implied dead some time before November 2017, as the Morven Park website mentioned only housing the 2015 turkeys by that time.[54]
2015: Abe, a 43 pounds (20 kg) turkey again presented by Foster Farms. The alternate was 42 pounds (19 kg) Honest.[55][56] Morven Park reported that both were still alive as of November 2016[57] and were still listed as alive on Morven Park's Web site in November 2017.[54] In 2018, Morven Park's website mentioned the final departure of the 2015 pardoned turkeys happening in December 2017; by January 2019, they had removed all mention of them on their Turkey Hill Farm page.[58][59]
2016: Tater and Tot, 40-pound and 39½-pound (18 kg respectively) turkeys from
Storm Lake, Iowa.[60][61] Both were reported as still alive and healthy but showing signs of old age as of November 2017.[62] The birds died some time before November 2018;[63] Tater was later revealed to have been euthanized for a leg problem at age 2+1⁄2.[26]
Trump presidency
2017: Drumstick, a 36-pound (16 kg) turkey,[64] who was chosen over alternate Wishbone, a 47-pound (21 kg) turkey;[65] both were from
Alexandria, Minnesota.[62] There are conflicting reports regarding the fate of the turkeys:
Fox News claimed both turkeys were still alive and living a "lavish life" as of November 2018,[66] while The Guardian claimed that both were dead.[67] CNN confirmed that both had died by November 2019.[63] Two pre-slaughtered turkeys from
Orefield, Pennsylvania were also presented, with those turkeys being donated to
Martha's Table.[68]
2018: Peas, a 39-pound (18 kg) turkey with a height of 30", chosen over Carrots, a 41-pound (19 kg) turkey with a height of 32", both from
Huron, South Dakota were pardoned in 2018. Both were hatched on June 28, 2018.[66][69] Both Peas and Carrots were still alive as late as 2021.[70]
2019: Butter, a 47-pound (21 kg) turkey with a height of 31", chosen over Bread, a 45-pound (20 kg) turkey with a height of 32". Both were from
Butterball contract farmer Wellie Jackson of
Clinton, North Carolina.[71] The pre-slaughtered turkeys again came from Orefield, Pennsylvania.[72] Both Bread and Butter were still alive in 2021.[70]
2021: Peanut Butter and Jelly, both 40-pound (18 kg) turkeys raised by Andrea Welp of
Jasper, Indiana.[74] As of November 2022, both were still alive, with Purdue stating that the birds had made a "smooth adjustment" to retirement.[75][76]
2022: Chocolate, a 46-pound (21 kg) turkey,[77] chosen along with Chip, a 47-pound (21 kg) turkey,[78] both raised by NTF chairman Ronnie Parker at Circle S Ranch in
Monroe, North Carolina.[79] Both are still alive as of November 2023.[80]
2023: Liberty, a 42.5-pound (19.3 kg) turkey, along with Bell, a 42.1 pounds (19.1 kg) turkey, both from a
Jennie-O owned-and-operated farm in
Willmar, Minnesota.[31][23]
The "pardoning" of turkey during the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation has been cited as an illustration of
carnism.[83]Animal rights scholars cite this as an illustration of
dissonance reduction, which is the prominence given to all similar "saved from slaughter" stories, in which the media focus on one animal that evaded slaughter, while ignoring the millions that did not.[84] According to
Melanie Joy, this dichotomy is characteristic of carnism.[85] Animals at the center of such narratives include Wilbur in Charlotte's Web (1952); the eponymous and fictional star of Babe (1995); Christopher Hogwood in
Sy Montgomery's The Good, Good Pig (2006);[84] the
Tamworth Two;
Emily the Cow and
Cincinnati Freedom. A 2012 study found that most media reporting on the turkey-pardoning ceremony celebrated the
poultry industry while marginalizing the link between living animals and meat.[83]
Popular culture
In The West Wing episode "Shibboleth," when
C.J. learns the alternate turkey is to be slaughtered, she appeals to
President Bartlet to save it. He points out that he cannot pardon a turkey, as it had committed no crime and he has no "judicial jurisdiction over birds". So, he drafts the turkey into military service to spare its life. In real life, both the turkey and the alternate are spared.
The animated film Free Birds centers around a turkey who was pardoned, then is recruited to go back in time to the first thanksgiving to get turkeys off the menu.
In David Mamet's play November, an incumbent president losing his bid for reelection uses the yearly tradition to extort the turkey farmers to add to his lacking campaign fund.
In Red, White & Royal Blue Chapter 4, Alex Claremont-Diaz, a fictional First Son of the United States, offers to let the two turkeys being brought for the pardon stay in his room at the
White House overnight. He then proceeds to call Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, a fictional British Prince and the main love interest of the book, to discuss the turkeys.
Gallery
President
Harry Truman receiving a turkey (this one a
Bronze) from the turkey industry, 1949
^History of Names. Note that this source cites this Wikipedia article as a source, but Harry's name was not listed on this article until after this page was posted.
^
abCroft, Jay (November 23, 2019).
"Here's where turkeys pardoned by the President will find a permanent place to nest". CNN.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019. The National Thanksgiving Turkey and its alternate will join Peas and Carrots, last year's pardoned birds. Earlier lucky cluckers Wishbone and Drumstick, plus Tater and Tot, died at Gobblers Rest of natural causes.
^
abPackwood-Freeman, Carrie; Perez, Oana Leventi (2012). "Pardon Your Turkey and Eat Him Too", in Joshua Frye, Michael S. Bruner (eds.), The Rhetoric of Food: Discourse, Materiality, and Power, Routledge, pp.
103ff.
^
abMizelle, Brett (2015). "Unthinkable Visibility: Pigs, Pork and the Spectacle of Killing and Meat", in Marguerite S. Shaffer, Phoebe S. K. Young (eds.), Rendering Nature: Animals, Bodies, Places, Politics, University of Pennsylvania Press, p. 264; Mizelle, Brett (2012). Pig, Reaktion Books, pp. 105–106.
^Joy, Melanie (2011) [2009]. Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism. Conari Press, pp. 135, 150.
ISBN1573245054.