Continuing a tradition that goes back years, President Joe Biden will partake in his last turkey pardon during his administration.
Every year, the president “pardons” one or two turkeys before the Thanksgiving holiday. This may be one of the more eccentric jobs the president takes on during their tenure, but the yearly “pardoning” has become a tradition of its own.
Here’s what you need to know about the tradition:
What is the turkey pardoning?
It is believed Abraham Lincoln was the first president to pardon a turkey in 1863. Lincoln’s son Tad allegedly became attached to the turkey that was fated to be served at the family’s Christmas meal, according to the History Channel.
Lincoln was said to have spared the bird from becoming dinner, based on an 1865 dispatch by White House reporter Noah Brooks. This account, however, may be overstated, the White House Historical Association reports.
Starting in 1947, the National Turkey Federation began giving the president a turkey ahead of Thanksgiving.
“The White House Presentation signals the beginning of the holiday season of national thanks, historically representing agriculture’s bountiful harvest,” the federation’s website states. Each year, the president receives the National Thanksgiving Turkey and an alternate.
The first president to receive a live turkey was Harry S. Truman, from the National Turkey Federation. As a result, he is often credited as the first to pardon a turkey. But the 33rd president does not hold that title.
The turkeys Truman received actually met the fate of becoming a holiday feast. In 1948, Truman said to reporters that the birds would “come in handy” for Christmas dinner, according to the History Channel.
How long has the turkey pardon been observed?
The national Thanksgiving turkey presentation has been observed since 1947, according to the National Turkey Federation.
Who was the first president to pardon a turkey?
Ronald Reagan was the first to formally use the term “pardon” in regard to a turkey, the History Channel reports. In 1987, Reagan was asked by reporters if he’d pardon his aides who had been accused in the Iran-Contra scandal. He ignored those questions, but joked, “I’ll pardon him,” of the 55-pound Thanksgiving bird.
It wasn’t until the George H.W. Bush presidency that pardoning turkeys became commonplace for the president.
From then on, two lucky birds get to live out the remainder of their days without worrying about ending up on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
