The presidential turkey pardon tradition might
have stemmed from Abraham Lincoln, who made Thanksgiving an
official U.S. holiday in 1863. According to White House reporter
Noah Brooks, Lincoln’s son Tad got upset when he found out
someone was going to kill the live turkey that had been brought
for the presidential family’s Christmas dinner in 1865.
Eventually, the turkey’s life was spared.
The first president to throw a ceremony rescuing a bird from
being doomed to the Thanksgiving table may be John F. Kennedy in
1963, according to the White House Historical Association. That
year, the turkey had a “Good Eating, Mr. President!” sign around
its neck. Reportedly, JFK said, “We’ll just let this one grow,”
and had the bird sent back to the farm. The Los Angeles Times
ran an article about the event calling it a “presidential
pardon” so the presidential turkey pardon tradition began.
Incidentally, though
the residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is painted white, it
was known as the Executive Mansion and the President’s Palace
until October 1901, when President Theodore Roosevelt referred
to it as the White House. He made the name official when he
had it engraved on his stationery.