Backgrounder History of White House Thanksgiving Traditions
Annual Turkey Pardon, Holiday Meals, Activities and More
Thanksgiving at the White House Press Collection
Thanksgiving is a relatively quiet and personal holiday at the White House, as it precedes a very busy season of public events in December. With the exception of the annual turkey pardon, the First Family celebrates with friends and family in the same fashion as households across the country.
Compiled by the White House Historical Association. Please credit the Association by its full name when using this information.
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All other press resources
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Article Pardoning the Thanksgiving Turkey
The official "pardoning" of White House turkeys is an interesting White House tradition that has captured the imagination of the...
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Article White House Thanksgiving Turkeys in the Roaring '20s
First families received turkeys as gifts long before the 1920s. Horace Vose, the “Poultry King” of southwestern Rhode Island, first sent...
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Which president started the tradition of pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey?
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