White House Turkey Pardons Press Collection

In this photograph, Tot, the 2016 National Thanksgiving Turkey, waits to receive his pardon from President Barack Obama on November 23, 2016 in the Rose Garden. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration. The ceremony in 2016 marked President Obama's final turkey pardoning after two terms in office.

In this photograph, Tot, the 2016 National Thanksgiving Turkey, waits to receive his pardon from President Barack Obama on November 23, 2016 in the Rose Garden. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration. The ceremony in 2016 marked President Obama's final turkey pardoning after two terms in office.

In this photograph, President Barack Obama reprieves Tot (and a second turkey, Tater, not present) during the annual Thanksgiving Turkey pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. President Obama's nephews Austin and Aaron Robinson joined him for the ceremony, his last after two terms in office. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph, President Barack Obama reprieves Tot (and a second turkey, Tater, not present) during the annual Thanksgiving Turkey pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. President Obama's nephews Austin and Aaron Robinson joined him for the ceremony, his last after two terms in office. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph, President Barack Obama reprieves Tot (and a second turkey, Tater, not present) during the annual Thanksgiving Turkey pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. President Obama's nephews Austin and Aaron Robinson joined him for the ceremony, his last after two terms in office. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph, President Barack Obama reprieves Tot (and a second turkey, Tater, not present) during the annual Thanksgiving Turkey pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. President Obama's nephews Austin and Aaron Robinson joined him for the ceremony, his last after two terms in office. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph, President Barack Obama speaks at the annual Thanksgiving Turkey pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. President Obama's nephews Austin and Aaron Robinson joined him for the ceremony, his last pardon after two terms in office. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration. In 2016, President Obama gave reprieve to the turkey Tot and a second turkey, Tater, not present.

In this photograph 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. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph Courage, the National Thanksgiving Turkey awaits his official pardon from President Barack Obama. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph, Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois and representatives from the poultry industry and farm organizations present a turkey to President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 16, 1967 in the Roosevelt Room of the West Wing. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph, two unidentified men carry a turkey in a battleship crate. The turkey was a gift from H.W. Mason of Crystal Springs, Mississippi and addressed to "Miss Florence Harding." Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph, a White House policeman smiles and reaches out to Tom Turkey on the South Grounds of the White House. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph, a group of men pose with champion turkeys selected by the Minnesota Arrow Association on the North Portico of the White House on November 25, 1929. From left to right: H.P. McBride, Percy C. Klein, White House Press Secretary George E. Akerson, R.C. Middaugh, and Roy Drake. The turkeys were destined for President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Hoover’s Thanksgiving table. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. 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.

In this photograph President Ronald Reagan receives the 36th annual Thanksgiving turkey from representatives from the National Turkey Federation on the South Lawn of the White House. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph, President Dwight D. Eisenhower feeds a cranberry to a turkey he received from the Poultry and Egg National Board and the National Turkey Federation. The presentation occurred in the West Garden, which is now the Rose Garden. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays since the 1870s. The origin of the 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.

In this photograph, a member of the National Turkey Federation presents a turkey to President Richard Nixon in the Rose Garden. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph President Harry Truman laughs as Col. Lewis Jackson and Sen. Olin Johnson of South Carolina present him with a turkey on a platter in the Oval Office. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays since the 1870s. The origin of the 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.

In this photograph President Dwight D. Eisenhower inspects the tail feathers of a Thanksgiving turkey that he received from Nebraska. Presidents and their families holiday gifts of the turkeys as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph President Dwight D. Eisenhower stands in the West Garden, now the Rose Garden, as he receives a turkey from Nebraska. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph President Dwight D. Eisenhower holds the neck of a 40-pound Thanksgiving dinner turkey presented to him by the National Turkey Federation. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays since the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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.

This photograph is of President Bill Clinton pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey in the Rose Garden in 1995. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph, President Bill Clinton pats "Harry" the turkey before pardoning him during a ceremony in the Rose Garden. The National Turkey Federation presented the turkey, named after President Harry S. Truman, to Clinton for pardoning. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph President George W. Bush pets Stars, the National Thanksgiving Turkey, during the pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. For the first time members of the public could vote on the pardon turkey's name. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph President George W. Bush looks over Katie, the first female National Thanksgiving Turkey, in the Rose Garden. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.

In this photograph President Gerald Ford leans on a table in the Rose Garden for a closer look at the turkey presented to him by the National Turkey Federation. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the 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. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.