National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation

National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation

The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is a ceremony that takes place at the White House every year shortly before Thanksgiving. The President of the United States is presented with a live domestic turkey by the National Turkey Federation, usually males of the Broad Breasted White variety. The official presentation of a turkey to the President each year began in 1947 under President Harry S. Truman. In 2010, the turkeys were sent to the live at Mount Vernon, the estate and home of George Vernon.

About National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation in brief

Summary National Thanksgiving Turkey PresentationThe National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is a ceremony that takes place at the White House every year shortly before Thanksgiving. The President of the United States is presented with a live domestic turkey by the National Turkey Federation, usually males of the Broad Breasted White variety. The ceremony dates back to the 1940s, with presidents occasionally sparing the bird presented to them. During the Presidency of George H. W. Bush, it became a tradition for the president to issue a pardon to the turkey, sparing the turkey’s life. The official presentation of a turkey to the President each year began in 1947 under President Harry S. Truman. The presentation was partially borne out of a lobbying campaign: the Truman Administration, in an effort to conserve grain for foreign aid campaigns, began promoting \”Meatless Tuesdays\” and \”Poultryless Thursdays\” in the autumn of 1947. In 2010, the turkeys were sent to the live at Mount Vernon, the estate and home of George Vernon.

The 2013, 2014 and 2015 turkeys are sent to Morven Park in Levenesburg, Virginia, the former Virginia governor of Westmoreland County. The turkeys from 2016 to 2019 were chosen by Virginia Tech’s poultry science program because the college’s poultry program was chosen to host the turkey in the fall of that year. The turkey was sent to either the Disneyland Resort in California or the Walt Disney World Resort, where they served as the honorary grandals of Disney’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2012 and 2012. The first President on record issuing a turkey pardon was Ronald Reagan, who did it as a joke to deflect questions over the Iran-Contra affair, on whether or not he would consider pardoning Oliver North. Reagan did not make any pardon references in the 1988 presentation, but his successor, George H W. Bush, instituted the turkey pardon as a permanent part of the presentation beginning his first year in office, 1989.