Rose Garden; National Turkey Federation; President Kennedy; Poultry and Egg Boar; White House Turkey; Turkey Pardon

Turkeys have long been linked to Washington, D.C. (ahem, ahem). But the origin of the annual presidential Thanksgiving turkey pardon in the Rose Garden is frequently misrepresented. In the 1870s, Horace Vose, a Rhode Island poultry dealer, began sending Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys to the first family and reaped tons of publicity. He became the unofficial supplier for the next 40+ years, establishing the Turkey–White House connection. Harry Truman is often erroneously credited with the first turkey pardon. Truman was...Read More