In this photograph President George W. Bush pets Stars, the National Thanksgiving Turkey, during the pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. For the first time members of the public could vote on the pardon turkey's name. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the turkey pardon is said to have started with President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, after he offered a clemency to a turkey purchased for Christmas dinner at his son's request. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.
In this photograph President George W. Bush pets Stars, the National Thanksgiving Turkey, during the pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. For the first time members of the public could vote on the pardon turkey's name. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the turkey pardon is said to have started with President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, after he offered a clemency to a turkey purchased for Christmas dinner at his son's request. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.
