Joe Biden pardons two turkeys on Thanksgiving: Learn all about this tradition | N18G Continuing the Thanksgiving tradition, President Joe Biden will pardon two turkeys, Peach and Blossom, during his final holiday season in office. Pardoned the turkey. Named after the peach blossom, Delaware’s state flower, the turkey symbolizes resilience. The iconic tradition dates back to the 1870s, when Rhode Island poultry merchant Horace Vose began sending turkeys to the White House. Over time, turkey presentations evolved into a festive tradition where they were displayed and decorated in public places, like the 1925 turkey presented by the Girl Scouts of Vermont. President Truman received his first turkey from the Poultry and Egg National Board in 1947, but did not establish a tradition of pardons. The practice of formal pardoning began in 1989 under President George H.W. Bush, with the humorous and symbolic idea we see today that turkeys are sent to children’s farms rather than eaten. It marked the transition to traditional rituals.
