The first U.S. president to officially pardon a Thanksgiving turkey was George H. W. Bush, in 1989.

Quick Scoop

In November 1989, President George H. W. Bush stood in the White House Rose Garden and declared that the presented turkey would receive a “presidential pardon” and would not end up on anyone’s dinner table, marking the first official turkey pardon ceremony. This moment is widely recognized as the start of the formal, annual tradition that continues with presidents today.

A Bit Of Backstory

  • Earlier presidents sometimes spared turkeys, but not in a formal, recurring way.
  • Abraham Lincoln is often cited as the first to “unofficially” spare a turkey, after his son Tad pleaded for the bird’s life in the 1860s.
  • John F. Kennedy also publicly spared a turkey in 1963, but it was not called an official pardon or established as an annual ritual.

When It Became A Tradition

  • With Bush’s 1989 ceremony, the “presidential pardon” language and lighthearted ritual became a regular, expected part of White House Thanksgiving events.
  • Every president since has held some version of this event, making the turkey pardon a modern, media-friendly Thanksgiving tradition.

TL;DR: George H. W. Bush was the first U.S. president to officially pardon a Thanksgiving turkey, in 1989, turning scattered one-off “mercy” moments into the annual ceremony known today.

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