Turkey pardons started in the Lincoln White House, although some people credit George W. Bush with the first official ceremonial pardon. Others cite Harry S. Truman as father of the now annual event. In truth, the credit should go to Abraham Lincoln’s son Tad who was nine years old at the time.
The turkey was a gift to the First Family, intended for their Christmas dinner in 1863. Tad named the bird Jack and taught it to follow him around White House grounds. When the President told his son that the turkey would be the center of their holiday feast, Tad begged for mercy.
According to White House History, reporter Noah Brooks recorded the story in 1865:
“…a live turkey had been brought home for the Christmas dinner, but ‘Tad’ interceded in behalf of its life, and carried the case up to the Executive Chamber, securing a stay of proceedings until his father could be heard from. The argument was that the turkey had as good a right to live as any body else, and his plea was admitted and turkey’s life spared.”
While other presidents embraced the ceremonial Thanksgiving moment, turkey pardons officially began with young Tad.
Tad Lincoln Was Always A Rambunctious Trailblazer
Well before turkey pardons, Tad (1853-1871) and his brother William (1851-1862) were notorious pranksters in their hometown of Springfield, Illinois.
Tad shouldered his share of physical challenges, with a cleft palate that gave him a lisp and dental issues that left him unable to eat solid food. He was hyperactive and easily distracted. He was also intelligent, creative, and full of mischief that left him with little time for academics. Both Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln generally gave their children a wide berth when it came to discipline. They took joy in their children’s shenanigans.
In his book All the Presidents’ Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of America’s First Families, Doug Wead writes:
“Willie was a miniature Abe Lincoln, minus the severe upbringing, using all of his wit and manipulation to provoke merriment, while the younger Tad was the precocious, fearless instigator, always leading the way and counting on his disarming childishness to soften the heart of any angry adult disciplinarian or critic.”
One of their famous tricks was the use of a pole to knock the hats of passerby. The stunt often drew amused onlookers. On Sundays, the boys amused themselves by pulling leather-bound law books off the shelves.
By the time they lived in the White House (March, 1861-April, 1865) the eldest son, Robert, was attending Harvard College. Tad and Willie were pranksters, but with their signature charisma they got away with outrageous behavior. They routinely disrupted important meetings, played tricks on visitors and White House staff. They also played with their menagerie of pets including goats, horses, cats and dogs. (Turkey Pardons came later.)
Some criticized the Lincolns for allowing their boys to run wild in the White House. But it was a time of terrible grief for the nation in Civil War and the boys provided comic relief.
Willie died less than one year after their move to Washington. With Tad now the only child in the White House, the Lincolns allowed him more latitude than ever and he took full advantage of his freedoms.
“In one famous incident, Tad and his friends hitched two goats to a dining room chair and drove it into a sitting room where the first lady was giving a tour of the White House to distinguished guests from Boston.” (Wead)
Although Mrs. Lincoln was furious, it seemed that Tad could do no wrong in his father’s eyes.
“The boy was playfully commissioned a colonel, complete with uniform and sword, and sometimes reviewed the troops with his father. Many officers, numb from the bloodiest war in American history, were not amused.” (Wead)
Tad Lincoln Understood Thanks And Giving
Despite his own physical challenges, Tad had a heart for the less fortunate. In addition to Turkey Pardons, his willful schemes helped many.
According to Wead:
“Colonel William H. Crook, the White House guard, told the story of Tad being accosted by a desperate and tearful woman whose husband was in prison and whose children were starving and cold.”
Touched by her grief Tad carried her story upstairs to his father’s office. Insisting that she needed immediate consideration, his father promised to free the husband.
“When Tad returned with the news the woman wept with hoy, and Tad, overcome by the goodness of what he had done, openly wept with her.”
Tad Lincoln’s Schemes Raised Funds For Charity
Tad enthusiastically raised funds for the U.S. Sanitary Commission, which was the Red Cross of its day. He made a cottage industry out of charging White House guests a nickel to meet his father. When Abe Lincoln put a stop to that gimmick, Tad took to buying food from street vendors. He then re-sold it at a booth he set up in the White House. All profits went to charity organizations.
Thanksgiving Became An Official Holiday
The Battle of Gettysburg (July, 1863) resulted in more than 50,000 American casualties. With the grief of losses President Lincoln finally conceded that a national holliday could be healing for the country.
Thanksgiving had been celebrated in America since the 1600s, primarily in New England. It was a recognized tradition, but it was not a national day. Sarah Hale of Godey’s Lady’s Book had been lobbying for 17 years to have On October 3, 1863, Lincoln proclaimed the national holiday. Secretary of State William H. Seward penned the document that set the date of on the last Thursday in November. It would take years, but eventually all states embraced the day.
That was the year that Tad Lincoln lobbied for Jack, creating Turkey pardons that would also eventually became a national bright spot in the holiday season.
What became of Jack the White House turkey?
According to the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s Mr. Lincoln’s White House:
“The soldiers on duty about the house made a pet of the bird, and on the last election day the boy came tearing up into his father’s room to call his attention to the fact that the soldiers were voting. Noticing the turkey among them, the President asked ‘Tad’ if the turkey was voting, too; to which the boy promptly responded — ‘O, no; he isn’t of age yet!’ The indulgent father thought that was reply was a great deal better than many of the so-called Lincoln stories.”
Another Bright Spot For Giving On The Day Of Thanks
In 1896 by the local YMCA in Buffalo, New York held first Turkey Trot race. Only 6 men attended. Since then it has become one of the most popular races in America. Turkey trots are frequently organized as fundraisers for a variety of charities.
The YMCA Turkey Trot held in Dallas, Texas on November 24, 2011 holds the record for people dressed as turkeys. With 661 people in turkey costumes in the name of fundraising, the boy who triggered Turkey Pardons would have approved.
Raccoons Benefitted As Well
Tad’s Turkey Pardons might have inspired the Coolidge family in 1926 when a supporter from Mississippi gave them a raccoon for their Thanksgiving Dinner. Like Tad and Jack, the Coolidge family bonded with the animal, naming her Rebecca. They opted out of serving Rebecca at Thanksgiving. Instead, President Coolidge gave her an embroidered collar that read: White House Raccoon.
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