Origins of the presidential turkey pardon

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David Mamet's play, November is an Oval Office farce about an outrageously corrupt fictional lame-duck President (who resembles an uncanny amalgam of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton) and his bird-brained attempt to turn the annual Thanksgiving-turkey pardon into a potential political fund-raising scheme.

President Barack Obama pardons Courage on November 25, 2009.

Alex Brandon, The Associated Press

President Barack Obama pardons Courage on November 25, 2009.

I saw November back in 2008, and although, in my opinion, it's not one of Mamet's best, it did spark my curiosity about the history of the Presidential Turkey Pardon.

So, exactly where and when did this odd tradition originate? As the story goes, each year since 1947, the National Turkey Federation and the Poultry and Egg National Board have gifted a turkey (and an "alternate") to the President of the United States at a White House ceremony right around Thanksgiving.

Since then, presidents have been more likely to call the turkey dinner than give it a reprieve. But a notable exception occurred in 1963, when President Kennedy, referring to the turkey given to him, said, "Let's just keep him." It wasn't until 1989, during the first Thanksgiving of President George H.W. Bush, that a turkey was officially pardoned.

Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have all upheld the turkey pardoning tradition. However, some confusion still abounds regarding the true origin of this practice. Some claim that Harry Truman pardoned the turkey he received in 1947, but the Truman Library has been unable to prove this as fact. Others say that the tradition dates back to Abraham Lincoln's pardoning of his son Tad's pet turkey.

Here's what is certain: since 1989 a turkey (and its alternate) have been pardoned each year. For 15 years through 2004, the turkeys were given to Kidwell Farm, a petting zoo at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Virginia, a rather unfortunate name if you happen to be a turkey who has narrowly escaped becoming the centerpiece of someone's Thanksgiving feast. The turkeys would receive a last minute pardon before arriving, and were then led to their new home at the Turkey Barn after enduring a turkey "roast" brimming with poultry humor and history.

In and after 2005, the turkeys, with names like "Pumpkin and Pecan," "May and Flower" and "Marshmallow and Yamy", got a police escort and were flown (sometimes first class!) to Disneyland in California where they served as honorary grand marshals for Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day parade. After that, they spent the rest of their lives (which are often truncated as a result of their less-than-stellar factory farm origins) on Disneyland's Big Thunder Ranch.

According to a Disneyland spokesman, after five years of taking in the turkeys, the park will no longer be accepting presidential pardons. Instead, after Obama spares the turkey tomorrow, the fortunate fowl will be relocated to George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate in Virginia.

The 21-week-old turkey in the spotlight this year is staying at the W Hotel, just a block from the White House. Once at Mount Vernon, he'll be driven to his pen in a horse-drawn carriage and be greeted with a trumpet fanfare.

Related reading:

10 fascinating facts about turkeys

Posted By: Amelia Glynn (Email, Facebook) | November 23 2010 at 03:02 PM

Listed Under: Birds, Celebrity Pets, Holidays, Pet Trends