National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation

File: President Ronald Reagan receives the 40th White House Thanksgiving Turkey 1987.jpg, 1987.]] 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.Kirkpatrick, Melanie. [https://nypost.com/2016/11/20/the-turkey-pardoning-tradition-may-have-started-with-a-raccoon/ The turkey pardoning tradition may have started with a raccoon]. The New York Post (November 20, 2016). Retrieved November 21, 2016. 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. 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/white-house-thanksgiving-turkeys-in-the-roaring-20s|title=White House Thanksgiving Turkeys in the Roaring '20s|first=Jennifer|last=Giambrone|work=White House Historical Association|date=November 19, 2015|access-date=November 18, 2021}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/the-way-we-ate-the-year-harry-truman-passed-on-pumpkin-pie/|title=The Way We Ate: The Year Harry Truman Passed on Pumpkin Pie|first=Michele|last=Humes|work=Diner's Journal|publisher=The New York Times|date=November 23, 2009|access-date=November 17, 2017}} Records on file at the Truman Library show that Truman publicly admitted eating at least some of the turkeys.Edwards, Cynthia. 2003. Did Truman pardon a Turkey? http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trivia/turkey.htm (accessed November 24, 2007).

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,{{cite web |title=Thanksgiving: President Kennedy Pardons a Turkey |url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/thanksgiving-president-kennedy-pardons-a-turkey |website=WHHA (en-US) |access-date=3 June 2020 |language=en}} just three days before his assassination. The bird was wearing a sign reading, "Good Eating Mr. President". Kennedy returned the massive {{convert|55|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey to the farm, saying "we'll let this one grow."Bruce, Mary (November 22, 2013). [https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/11/obama-pardons-turkeys-then-they-die/ Obama pardons turkeys ... then they die]. ABC News. Retrieved November 23, 2013. 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.[http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/27/21628738-presidential-turkey-pardons-not-as-long-a-history-as-you-might-think Presidential turkey pardons not as long a history as you might think]. NBC News. Retrieved November 29, 2013. Likewise, Richard Nixon also spared some of the turkeys given to him during his time as president.Lee, Jolie (November 25, 2014). [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/11/25/turkey-pardoning-thanksgiving-tradition/19367177/ Thanksgiving traditions: Turkey pardoning explained]. USA Today. Retrieved November 25, 2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/pardoning-the-thanksgiving-turkey|title=Pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey|first=Betty|last=Monkman|work=White House Historical Association|access-date=November 14, 2017}} During the Carter administration, First Lady Rosalynn Carter arranged to have the turkeys sent to petting zoos, and no public ceremonies were held.{{cite web|url=https://www.blackhillsfox.com/content/news/President-Trump-to-pardon-2-South-Dakota-turkeys-500854321.html|title = President Trump to pardon 2 South Dakota turkeys| date=November 19, 2018 }}

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, 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.[http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/the-origin-of-presidential-turkey-pardoning-574548547710 The actual, surprising origin of presidential turkey pardoning]. MSNBC. November 25, 2015. 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.{{cite web|title=President 'Pardons' Thanksgiving Turkey|url=http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/thanksgiving/featured/4|work=Los Angeles Times via Associated Press|date=18 November 1989|access-date=20 November 2018}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} 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."

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,[http://eatturkey.com/pressroom/national-thanksgiving-turkey-presentation-president-obama] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119144150/http://eatturkey.com/pressroom/national-thanksgiving-turkey-presentation-president-obama|date=November 19, 2015}} NTF Chairman Presents President Obama with the National Thanksgiving Turkey. National Turkey Federation. Retrieved February 20, 2013. 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.Merica, Dan (November 27, 2013). [http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/27/politics/pardoned-turkeys/ Where pardoned turkeys go to die]. CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2014. Virginia Tech has housed the turkeys from 2016 to 2019;{{cite web|title=Pardoned National Thanksgiving Turkey to Reside at Virginia Tech|url=http://theroanokestar.com/2016/11/15/pardoned-national-thanksgiving-turkey-to-reside-at-virginia-tech/|work=The Roanoke Star|date=November 15, 2016|access-date=November 15, 2016}} 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.Korth, Robby. [http://www.roanoke.com/news/education/higher_education/virginia_tech/trump-pardoned-turkeys-to-live-out-days-at-virginia-tech/article_b6e8bd3a-5427-5a7d-a0c7-07ddf6ac1573.html Trump-pardoned turkeys to live out days at Virginia Tech]. The Roanoke Times. Retrieved November 14, 2017. 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.{{cite web|url=https://roanoke.com/news/local/lame-ducks-pardoned-turkeys-will-not-be-hokie-bound/article_6b0139fa-2e76-11eb-b5ba-e740e8ddfd22.html|title= Lame duck's pardoned turkeys will not be Hokie-bound |first=Henri|last=Gendreau|work=The Roanoke Times|date=November 25, 2021|access-date=November 18, 2021}} The 2020 turkeys were sent to be housed at Iowa State University,{{cite web|url=https://www.eatturkey.org/2020/11/24/national-thanksgiving-turkey-welcomed-to-the-white-house/|title=National Thanksgiving Turkey Welcomed to the White House|work=National Turkey Federation|date=November 24, 2020|access-date=January 28, 2021}} the 2021 turkeys reside at Purdue University,{{cite web|url=https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2021/Q4/purdue-agriculture-home-to-2021-national-thanksgiving-turkeys.html|title=Purdue Agriculture home to 2021 National Thanksgiving Turkeys |work=Purdue University|date=November 15, 2021|access-date=November 18, 2021}} the 2022 turkeys live at North Carolina State University.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-16 |title=NC State to house 2022 National Thanksgiving Turkeys after White House pardoning |url=https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/nc-state-to-house-2022-national-thanksgiving-turkeys-after-white-house-pardoning/ |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=CBS17.com |language=en-US}} and the 2023 turkeys are housed at the University of Minnesota.{{Cite web |last=Nagle |first=Molly |date=November 20, 2023 |title=Turkeys Liberty and Bell escape 'fowl' fate with presidential pardon |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/turkeys-liberty-bell-escape-fowl-fate-presidential-pardon/story?id=105031593 |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=ABC News |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Taking care of presidential turkeys |url=https://cfans.umn.edu/news/taking-care-presidential-turkeys |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences |language=en}} Turkeys pardoned in 2024 will be sent to the Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center ([https://www.farmamerica.org Farmamerica]) in Waseca, Minnesota.

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. A flock of between 50 and 80 birds, typically from the farm of the current National Turkey Federation chairperson and hatched in early summer, are selected to be acclimated to handle loud noises, flash photography and large crowds; in late October or early November,{{Cite magazine |last=Burga |first=Solcyré |date=2024-11-24 |title=The Luxurious Lives of the Turkeys Getting a Presidential Pardon |url=https://time.com/7177221/turkey-presidential-pardon-farmer-interview/ |access-date=2024-11-25 |magazine=TIME |language=en}} the 10 to 20 best-preened and best-behaved of that flock 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.[https://nation.time.com/2013/11/26/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-presidential-turkey-pardons/ 10 things you didn't know about Presidential turkey pardons]. Time. Retrieved November 29, 2013. 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 {{convert|15.5|lb|kg}} when processed. This compares to the tom, which takes 18 weeks to reach a market weight of {{convert|38|lb|kg}}.{{Cite web |url=http://www.eatturkey.com/content/farm |title=On the farm | Eatturkey.com |access-date=November 16, 2017 |archive-date=November 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117064851/http://www.eatturkey.com/content/farm |url-status=dead }} The turkeys for the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation are usually between 17 and 21 week-old toms (males) weighing {{convert|45|lb}} 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, 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;Fox, Lauren (November 23, 2011). [https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/11/22/2010-turkeys-pardoned-by-obama-died-this-year 2010 Turkeys Pardoned By Obama Died This Year]. U.S. News. Retrieved November 23, 2011. for comparison, heritage turkey breeds have lifespans on par with those of wild turkeys, at least five years.{{cite web |url=http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/turkdefinition.html |title=Definition of a Heritage Turkey |work=albc-usa.org |publisher=American Livestock Breeds Conservancy |access-date=July 20, 2008 }} 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.

File:President Obama Pardons White House Turkey.ogv grants the traditional turkey pardon to Liberty during the ceremony at the North Portico of the White House on November 23, 2011. Liberty was one of the few to survive more than a year after being pardoned.]]

• 1987: "Charlie", was sent to a petting zoo in 1987 and humourously referred to as pardoned.
• 1988: "Woody", a National Turkey Federation turkey raised in Story City, Iowa{{cite web |title=Woody the turkey gets pardoned by President Reagan |date=November 23, 2016 |url=https://globegazette.com/reagan-turkey-pardon/image_9a58f37c-55f1-58b3-aedc-baee08d3e43b.html}}

• 1989: The first turkey is officially pardoned during the presentation.

• 1993: An unnamed turkey provided by Jennie-O in Willmar, Minnesota.
• 1994: Tom, a {{convert|50|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey from Harrisonburg, Virginia.{{Cite web |last=Center |first=Lee Digital Content |title=How the presidential turkey pardon got its start |url=https://www.wfmz.com/news/odd-news/how-the-presidential-turkey-pardon-got-its-start/article_efac4916-0fda-5aba-8a92-af033a541e53.html |access-date=2022-11-21 |website=WFMZ.com |language=en}}
• 1996: Carl, a {{convert|35|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey.
• 1997: An unnamed {{convert|60|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey from Raeford, North Carolina.
• 1998: An unnamed {{convert|45|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey.
• 1999: "Harry the Turkey".https://www.c-span.org/video/?153864-1/national-thanksgiving-turkey-pardon.
• 2000: "Jerry the Turkey", a {{convert|45|lb|adj=on}} 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.{{cite news|publisher=CNN|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/11/22/clinton.thanksgiving/index.html|title=Clinton spares 'Jerry' the turkey in annual Thanksgiving rite|author=Staff and Wire Reports|date=November 22, 2000}}

• 2001: Liberty and his back-up Freedom, so named in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. They weighed {{convert|48|and|52|lb|kg}}, respectively.{{cite news|publisher=National Geographic|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/1120_TVprezturkeys_2.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060521094436/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/1120_TVprezturkeys_2.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 21, 2006|title=Where Do Turkeys Go After Being Pardoned by the President?|author=Bijal P. Trivedi|date=November 20, 2001}}
• 2002: Katie, the first-ever female turkey pardoned. The {{convert|30|lb|kg|adj=on}} 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.{{cite news|work=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/27/us/in-new-spin-on-tradition-turkey-pardon-goes-to-katie.html|title=In New Spin on Tradition, Turkey Pardon Goes to 'Katie'|author=Elisabeth Bumiller|date=November 27, 2002}}
• 2003: Stars and backup Stripes.{{cite news|publisher=cnn|url=https://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/24/turkey/index.html|title=Pardoned turkeys may not live happily ever after|date=November 26, 2002|access-date=November 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403074703/http://articles.cnn.com/2003-11-24/politics/turkey_1_turkey-stars-and-stripes-pardons?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS|archive-date=April 3, 2012|url-status=live}}
• 2004: Biscuits and backup Gravy.
• 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.{{cite news|publisher=New Zealand Herald|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10356590|title=Bush sends pardoned turkeys to Disneyland|date=November 23, 2005}} Names were generally chosen in online votes taken at the White House website.
• 2006: Flyer and alternate bird Fryer, raised in Missouri.{{cite news|publisher=Fox News|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/bush-pardons-turkeys-but-peta-wants-better-after-care|title=Bush Pardons Turkeys, But PETA Wants Better After-Care|date=November 22, 2006}}
• 2007: {{convert|45|lb|kg|adj=on}} May and backup Flower, raised in Indiana.{{cite news|publisher=KERO|title=Bush Gobbles Up Tradition In Turkey Pardon:Turkeys Head To Disney World|url=http://www.turnto23.com/news/14649745/detail.html|date=November 20, 2007|access-date=November 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719035517/http://www.turnto23.com/news/14649745/detail.html|archive-date=July 19, 2011|url-status=dead}}
• 2008: {{convert|45|lb|adj=on}} backup "vice" turkey named Pumpkin, after the number one turkey Pecan fell ill the night before the ceremony. Both turkeys were allowed to live.{{cite news|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna27929026|title=Bush pardons Thanksgiving turkey|date=November 26, 2008}}{{cite news|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/26/AR2008112602556.html|title=Thankfully, Bush Never Had an Ax To Grind|author=Manuel Roig-Franzia|date=November 27, 2008}}

• 2009: Courage, a 45-pound turkey provided by the National Turkey Federation, and alternate bird Carolina, raised in North Carolina.{{cite news|publisher=Christian Science Monitor|url=http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/11/25/obama-pardons-%E2%80%98courage%E2%80%99-the-thanksgiving-turkey/|date=November 25, 2009|author=Peter Grier|title=Obama pardons 'Courage,' the Thanksgiving turkey|access-date=November 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127094355/http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/11/25/obama-pardons-%E2%80%98courage%E2%80%99-the-thanksgiving-turkey/|archive-date=November 27, 2009|url-status=dead}} 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.Montanaro, Domenico (November 25, 2015). [https://www.npr.org/2015/11/25/457253194/the-strange-truth-behind-presidential-turkey-pardons Ahead of Thanksgiving, Obama to Pardon Another Turkey. The Strange Truth Behind the Odd Event] National Public Radio. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
• 2010: Apple, a 45-pound turkey from Foster Farms in Modesto, California; and alternate bird Cider.{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/24/AR2010112402826.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | first=Joe | last=Heim | title=At White House, President Obama's pardons prevent turkeys' 'shellacking' | date=November 25, 2010}} Both had died of natural causes by Thanksgiving 2011.
• 2011: A 45-pound turkey named Liberty and an alternate bird named Peace, both of which were raised in Willmar, Minnesota.Boyer, Dave (November 23, 2011). [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/23/obama-pardons-turkey-unilaterally/ Obama pardons turkey — unilaterally]. The Washington Times. Retrieved November 23, 2011. Peace survived until shortly before Thanksgiving 2012, when he was euthanized.Ahlers, Mike (November 21, 2012). [https://web.archive.org/web/20121122235352/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/21/pardoned-turkeys-death-untimely-only-to-the-naive/ Pardoned turkey's death untimely? Only to the naive]. CNN.com. Retrieved November 21, 2012. Liberty survived until being euthanized April 26, 2013 at the age of 2.Schwab, Nikki

(November 19, 2013). [https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2013/11/19/all-of-president-obamas-pardoned-turkeys-are-dead All of President Obama's pardoned turkeys are dead]. U.S. News. Retrieved November 23, 2013.

• 2012: Cobbler and Gobbler, both {{convert|40|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkeys from Rockingham County, Virginia.[http://www.katv.com/story/20155252/obama-to-pardon-thanksgiving-turkey Obama to pardon Thanksgiving turkey]. Associated Press. Retrieved November 21, 2012.[http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/ec9cbe3b99654bd3b8cb7167649063f2// President Obama Pardons Turkey]. United Press International, Inc. Retrieved November 21, 2012. Gobbler died suddenly in February 2013; Cobbler was euthanized on August 22 of that year.
• 2013: Popcorn, a {{convert|38|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey from Badger, Minnesota. Popcorn won an online contest over its identically sized stablemate Caramel, which was also spared.{{cite web | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/11/27/obama-thanksgiving-turkey-pardon-service-event/3766919/ | title=Obama pardons Thanksgiving turkey (and tells jokes) | publisher=USA Today | date=November 27, 2013 | access-date=November 27, 2013 | author=Jackson, David}} 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.[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/24/what-happens-to-pardoned-turkeys_n_6195652.html?ir=Good+News Turkey Pardoned From Death By Obama Last Year Is Still Gobbling Up The Good Life]. The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2014.Klein, Kerry (November 25, 2015). [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/11/the-post-pardon-life-of-the-presidential-turkey/417711/ The Post-Pardon Life of the Presidential Turkey]. The Atlantic. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
• 2014: Cheese and alternate bird Mac, both of which were {{convert|48|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkeys from Fort Recovery, Ohio.[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/farmers-honing-choice-turkeys-presidential-pardon-article-1.2016408 Decision 2014 redux: Ohio turkey farmers narrow down choice birds for presidential pardon]. New York Daily News. Retrieved November 25, 2014.Kim, Eun Kyung (November 26, 2014). [http://www.today.com/news/obama-pardons-turkey-cheese-annual-thanksgiving-ritual-1D80319974 No Thanksgiving Mac and Cheese: Obama pardons turkeys in annual ritual]. Today. Retrieved November 26, 2014. Mac died of suspected heatstroke in July 2015; Cheese remained alive as of November 2015, with the surviving Franklin as its companion. Cheese was implied dead some time before November 2017, as the Morven Park website mentioned only housing the 2015 turkeys by that time.{{cite web |url=http://www.morvenpark.org/explore/turkey-hill-farm/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171105073923/http://www.morvenpark.org/explore/turkey-hill-farm/|archive-date = November 5, 2017|title = Turkey Hill Farm}}
• 2015: Abe, a {{convert|43|lb|kg}} turkey again presented by Foster Farms. The alternate was {{convert|42|lb}} Honest.Wolf, Ali (November 20, 2015). [http://fox40.com/2015/11/20/meet-the-modesto-turkey-chosen-for-presidential-pardon/ Meet the Modesto Turkey Chosen for Presidential Pardon]. Fox 40 Sacramento. Retrieved November 20, 2015.[http://www.today.com/news/turkey-pardon-saves-honest-abe-obama-saves-birds-time-thanksgiving-t58206 Turkey pardon saves Honest, Abe: Obama saves birds in time for Thanksgiving]. Today. Retrieved November 25, 2015. Morven Park reported that both were still alive as of November 2016{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/morvenpk/photos/a.184664231572350.37611.180696458635794/1231294596909303/?type=3&theater |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/180696458635794/1231294596909303 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Have you visited Turkey Hill Farm at Morven Park? |author=Morven Park |publisher=Facebook |date= |access-date=2022-02-17}}{{cbignore}} and were still listed as alive on Morven Park's Web site in November 2017. 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.morvenpark.org/explore/turkey-hill-farm/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180825124528/http://www.morvenpark.org/explore/turkey-hill-farm/|archive-date = August 25, 2018|title = Turkey Hill Farm}}{{cite web |url=http://www.morvenpark.org:80/explore/turkey-hill-farm/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190118051745/http://www.morvenpark.org:80/explore/turkey-hill-farm/|archive-date = January 18, 2019|title = Turkey Hill Farm}}
• 2016: Tater and Tot, 40-pound and 39½-pound (18 kg respectively) turkeys from Storm Lake, Iowa.[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2016/11/22/president-obama-final-turkey-pardon www.whitehouse.gov]{{cite web |url=http://www.wfmz.com/news/politics/yes-we-cran-obama-pardons-turkeys-for-last-time-as-potus/181483892 |title=Yes We Cran: Obama pardons turkeys for last time as POTUS |access-date=November 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124093524/http://www.wfmz.com/news/politics/yes-we-cran-obama-pardons-turkeys-for-last-time-as-potus/181483892 |archive-date=November 24, 2016 |url-status=dead }} Both were reported as still alive and healthy but showing signs of old age as of November 2017.Dziemanowicz, Joe. [http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/presidential-turkey-pardon-prep-underway-article-1.3617529 Presidential turkey pardon prep underway and last year’s survivors ‘doing well’]. New York Daily News. Retrieved November 14, 2017. The birds died some time before November 2018;{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/23/us/turkeys-presidential-pardon-thanksgiving-trnd/index.html|title=Here's where turkeys pardoned by the President will find a permanent place to nest|first=Jay|last=Croft|work=CNN.com|date=November 23, 2019|access-date=November 26, 2019|quote=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.}} Tater was later revealed to have been euthanized for a leg problem at age {{frac|2|1|2}}.{{cite news|url=https://roanoke.com/news/education/they-eat-quite-a-bit-post-pardon-the-real-lives-of-virginia-techs-presidential-turkeys/article_e0b66b7e-b797-50bb-a50b-8cb6b2a9df17.html|title= 'They eat quite a bit': Post-pardon, the real lives of Virginia Tech's presidential turkeys |first=Henri|last=Gendreau|work=The Roanoke Times|date=November 30, 2019|access-date=November 17, 2021}}

• 2017: Drumstick, a {{convert|36|lbs|kg|adj=on}} turkey,{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-trump-spares-turkey-pardon-administration/story?id=51303135|title=President Trump spares turkey in second pardon of administration|first=Matt|last=Seyler|work=ABC News|date=November 21, 2017|access-date=November 21, 2017}} who was chosen over alternate Wishbone, a {{convert|47|lbs|kg|adj=on}} turkey;[http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-bred-turkey-heads-to-d-c-for-a-thanksgiving-pardon-from-president-trump/458349303/ Minnesota-bred turkey heads to DC for a Thanksgiving pardon from President Trump] both were from Alexandria, Minnesota. 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,{{cite news|url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/trumps-pardoned-turkeys-lead-lavish-life|title=Trump's pardoned turkeys lead lavish life|work=FoxNews.com|date=November 20, 2018|access-date=November 20, 2018}} while The Guardian claimed that both were dead.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/nov/19/turkeys-trump-thanksgiving|title=Turkeys pin hopes on Trump pardon—just don't ask about last year's birds|first=Adam|last=Gabbatt|work=The Guardian|date=November 19, 2018|access-date=November 20, 2018}} CNN confirmed that both had died by November 2019. Two pre-slaughtered turkeys from Orefield, Pennsylvania were also presented, with those turkeys being donated to Martha's Table.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-will-pardon-his-first-turkey-next-week/|title=Trump will pardon his first turkey next week|work=CBS News|date=November 16, 2017|access-date=November 17, 2017}}
• 2018: Peas, a {{convert|39|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey with a height of 30", chosen over Carrots, a {{convert|41|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey with a height of 32", both from Huron, South Dakota were pardoned in 2018. Both were hatched on June 28, 2018.{{cite news|url=http://whatsonpolitics.com/editorial-cheaper-turkeys-this-thanksgiving-thanks-to-trade-war/|date=November 22, 2018|author=Charlee|title=EDITORIAL: Cheaper turkeys this Thanksgiving, thanks to trade war}} Both Peas and Carrots were still alive as late as 2021.{{Cite web |date=2021-01-17 |title=Turkeys pardoned by Trump living in poor conditions: PETA |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2021/01/17/turkeys-pardoned-by-trump-living-in-poor-conditions-peta/ |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}}
• 2019: Butter, a {{convert|47|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey with a height of 31", chosen over Bread, a {{convert|45|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey with a height of 32". Both were from Butterball contract farmer Wellie Jackson of Clinton, North Carolina.{{cite news|url=https://twitter.com/whitehouse/status/1198995031169945602 |title=Which turkey should President Trump pardon at this year's National Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning Ceremony—Bread or Butter? |website=Twitter|date=November 25, 2019|access-date=November 25, 2019}} The pre-slaughtered turkeys again came from Orefield, Pennsylvania.{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/president-trump-welcomes-ntf-national-thanksgiving-turkey-white-012400412.html|title=President Trump Welcomes NTF & National Thanksgiving Turkey to the White House|work=PR Newswire|date=November 25, 2019|access-date=November 27, 2019}} Both Bread and Butter were still alive in 2021.
• 2020: Corn, chosen over Cob, owned by Ron and Susie Kardel of West Liberty Foods in West Liberty, Iowa. Both were still alive in November 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/academics/iowa-state-national-turkey-federation-thanksgiving/article_5b300d66-419a-11ec-a7ad-0f9b3de3fa3a.html|title = Pardoned turkey and counterpart live out their days at Iowa State| work=Iowa State Daily }}

• 2021: Peanut Butter and Jelly, both {{convert|40|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkeys raised by Andrea Welp of Jasper, Indiana.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/turkey-pardon-white-house-biden-thanksgiving-peanut-butter-and-jelly-watch-live-stream-today-2021-11-19/|title=Biden pardons turkeys Peanut Butter and Jelly ahead of Thanksgiving|work=CBS News|date=November 19, 2021|access-date=November 19, 2021}} As of November 2022, both were still alive, with Purdue stating that the birds had made a "smooth adjustment" to retirement.{{Cite web |title=Turkeys make smooth adjustment to Boilermaker life |url=https://ag.purdue.edu/news/2022/06/turkeys-make-smooth-adjustment-to-boilermaker-life.html |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=Purdue University - College of Agriculture |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Air conditioning, treats and hugs. Pardoned turkeys live a luxurious lifestyle at Purdue. |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/news/environment/2022/11/22/presidentially-pardoned-turkeys-gobble-up-the-good-life-at-purdue/69649822007/ |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=The Indianapolis Star |language=en-US}}
• 2022: Chocolate, a {{convert|46|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey,{{Cite web |date=2022-11-21 |title=Still alive: American democracy, Biden's bad jokes – and two turkeys |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/21/biden-turkey-pardon-thanksgiving |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} chosen along with Chip, a {{convert|47|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey,{{Cite web |date=2022-11-21 |title=Meet the turkeys set to receive a presidential pardon |url=https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/meet-the-turkeys-set-to-receive-a-presidential-pardon |access-date=2022-11-21 |website=ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS) |language=en}} both raised by NTF chairman Ronnie Parker at Circle S Ranch in Monroe, North Carolina.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Hank |date=November 15, 2022 |title=Biden to pardon North Carolina turkeys for Thanksgiving |url=https://www.wcnc.com/article/life/holidays/president-joe-biden-white-house-turkey-north-carolina-pardon-thanksgiving-2022-circle-s-ranch/275-c6aca837-fb87-4305-a47a-42de6ad10f37 |access-date=2022-11-16 |website=WCNC-TV |language=en-US}} Both are still alive as of August 2024.{{Cite web |last=Kerr |first=Amanda |date=2023-11-20 |title=Pardoned Turkeys Gobble Up Attention at NC State |url=https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/pardoned-turkeys-gobble-up-attention-at-nc-state/ |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=College of Agriculture and Life Sciences |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Shore |first=Dee |date=2024-08-16 |title=Celebrating 100 Years of Poultry Science at NC State University |url=https://magazine.cals.ncsu.edu/100-years-of-poultry-science-nc-state-university/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=North Carolina State University Prestage Department of Poultry Science |language=en-US}}
• 2023: Liberty, a {{convert|42.5|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkey, along with Bell, a {{convert|42.1|lb|kg}} turkey, both from a Jennie-O owned-and-operated farm in Willmar, Minnesota.{{Cite web |last=Vondracek |first=Christopher |date=August 24, 2023 |title=Minnesota turkeys will head to White House this Thanksgiving for presidential pardon |url=https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-turkeys-will-head-to-white-house-this-thanksgiving-for-presidential-pardon/600299571/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=Star Tribune}}
• 2024: Peach and Blossom,{{Cite web |last=Kaul |first=Greta |date=2024-11-24 |title=Minnesota turkeys head back to D.C. for pre-Thanksgiving presidential pardon |url=https://www.startribune.com/turkeys-minnesota-presidential-pardon-northfield-biden-birds/601186132 |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=Minneapolis Star-Tribune |language=en}} {{convert|41|lb|kg|adj=on}} and {{convert|40|lb|kg|adj=on}} turkeys from the independent farm of NTF chairman John Zimmerman of Northfield, Minnesota.{{Cite web |last=Klein |first=Betsy |date=2024-11-20 |title=Biden set to use his pardon power Monday for Thanksgiving turkey tradition |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/20/politics/joe-biden-turkey-pardon/index.html |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=CNN |language=en}}

File:Walz turkey presentation 2024 (54166323801).jpg at Minnesota's 2024 turkey presentation]]

A number of U.S. states have similar turkey pardoning events. Minnesota holds a Thanksgiving turkey ceremony,{{cite news|url=http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1274347.shtml?cat=206|publisher=kstp|date=November 24, 2009|author=Cassie Crowe & Becky Nahm|title=Turkey Celebrates Pardon at State Capitol|access-date=November 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231170240/http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1274347.shtml?cat=206|archive-date=December 31, 2009|url-status=dead}} which does not always end in a pardon.{{cite news |last1=Vondracek |first1=Christopher |title=Charismatic turkey fails to win pardon from Gov. Walz |url=https://www.startribune.com/charismatic-turkey-fails-to-win-pardon-from-gov-walz/601187259 |access-date=December 5, 2024 |work=Minnesota Star Tribune |date=November 26, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Van Berkel |first1=Jessie |title=Why doesn't Minnesota's governor pardon the ceremonial turkey? |url=https://www2.startribune.com/why-doesn-t-minnesota-s-governor-pardon-the-ceremonial-turkey/563803401/ |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=Minnesota Star Tribune |date=November 27, 2019}} The pardoning ceremonies have also been extended to other holidays; for instance, Erie County, New York's county executive facetiously pardons a butter lamb during Holy Week.[https://archive.today/20140416225130/http://www.wgrz.com/story/news/local/buffalo/2014/04/16/butter-lamb-pardon/7790771/ Erie County Executive Pardons Butter Lamb]. WGRZ (April 16, 2014). Retrieved April 16, 2014.

The "pardoning" of turkey during the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation has been cited as an illustration of carnism. 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. According to Melanie Joy, this dichotomy is characteristic of carnism.Joy, Melanie (2011) [2009]. Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism. Conari Press, pp. 135, 150. {{ISBN|1573245054}}. 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);Mizelle, Brett (2015). "Unthinkable Visibility: Pigs, Pork and the Spectacle of Killing and Meat", in Marguerite S. Shaffer, Phoebe S. K. Young (eds.), [https://books.google.com/books?id=AXoJCgAAQBAJ Rendering Nature: Animals, Bodies, Places, Politics], University of Pennsylvania Press, p. 264; Mizelle, Brett (2012). Pig, Reaktion Books, pp. 105–106. 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.Packwood-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. [https://books.google.com/books?id=IR9woMrfFs4C&pg=PA103 103ff].

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 the Rick and Morty episode "Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular", Rick turns himself into a turkey in an effort to receive a presidential pardon from the President.

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.

File:Truman2 thanksgiving.jpg|President Harry Truman accepting a turkey (this one a Bronze) from the turkey industry, 1949

File:President John F. Kennedy receives the 16th White House Thanksgiving Turkey 1963.jpg|President John F. Kennedy sparing a turkey, 1963, only three days before his assassination

File:Turkey and President Johnson 1967.jpg|President Lyndon Johnson accepting a non-pardoned turkey, 1967

File:Richard Nixon, turkey pardon.jpg|President Richard Nixon sparing a turkey, 1971

File:Pat Nixon turkey 7844-26a.jpg|First Lady Pat Nixon accepting a turkey on behalf of her husband, 1973

File:Ford Pardoned Turkey.jpg|President Gerald Ford accepting a non-pardoned turkey, 1975

File:Ronald Reagan, turkey pardon.jpg|President Ronald Reagan sparing a turkey, 1983

File:President George H. W. Bush at the Annual Presidential Pardoning of the Thanksgiving Turkey.jpg|President George H. W. Bush at the 3rd annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey, 1991

File:Bill Clinton, turkey pardon.jpg|President Bill Clinton at the 11th annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey, 1999

Image:President George W. Bush pardons a turkey 2008.jpg|President George W. Bush at the 20th annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey, 2008

File:Obama ThanksGiving Turkey Pardon 2009.jpg|President Barack Obama pardoning a turkey called "Courage" on November 25, 2009

File:The 2019 National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation (49129602166).jpg|President Donald Trump pardoning a turkey called "Butter" on November 26, 2019

File:Biden Turkey Pardon 2021.jpg|President Joe Biden pardoning a turkey called "Peanut Butter" on November 19, 2021

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://www.eatturkey.org/the-national-thanksgiving-turkey/ Information about the presidential turkey] at the National Turkey Federation website
• [https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/photoessay/index.html Official photo gallery of presidents pardoning turkeys]
• [http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln65.html President Abraham Lincoln Pardoned Jack, the White House Turkey]
• [http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trivia/turkey.htm Truman Trivia: Did Truman pardon a Turkey?]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zlXIIKojnI Presidential Turkey Pardons, Pointless Nostalgia Video]

{{Thanksgiving}}

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