In 1863, President Lincoln reportedly performed the first turkey pardon at the request of his son, Tad. More recently, presidents have received turkeys from citizens and associations, though it wasn’t until the Reagan administration that the pardon became more formalized.
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Senator 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 Oval Office. Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum / NARApic.twitter.com/OxqQgoRFII
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A member of the National Turkey Federation presents a turkey to President Richard Nixon in the Rose Garden in 1969. Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum / NARApic.twitter.com/gjkEDf7HBT
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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 in 1975. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum / NARApic.twitter.com/s6EesDo3Tv
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First Lady Rosalynn Carter and her daughter Amy meet with “Purdue Pete” and the National Turkey Foundation during a pardoning ceremony at the North Portico in 1978. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum / NARApic.twitter.com/xDQhn3NpmE
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President Ronald Reagan receives the 36th annual Thanksgiving turkey from representatives from the National Turkey Federation on the South Lawn of the White House in 1983. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum / NARApic.twitter.com/8TjQR6Xx3g
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President George H. W. Bush laughs during the 1990 turkey pardoning ceremony while his grandson, Sam LeBlond, gets caught in the shot. George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum / NARApic.twitter.com/vyIhiI4RKo
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President Bill Clinton pardons a Thanksgiving turkey in the Rose Garden in 1995. William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum / NARApic.twitter.com/nt0RJxxuet
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President George W. Bush looks over Katie, the first female National Thanksgiving Turkey, in the Rose Garden in 2002. George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum / NARApic.twitter.com/o6lWzowJxr
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President Barack Obama reprieves Tot during the annual pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in 2016. President Obama's nephews Austin and Aaron Robinson joined him for the ceremony, his last after two terms in office. White House Historical Associationpic.twitter.com/bvm49uh1GS
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President Donald Trump pardons Peas the turkey in the Rose Garden of the White House in 2018. Standing beside him is First Lady Melania Trump. Matthew D'Agostino for the White House Historical Associationpic.twitter.com/imEWymPY7S
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