Question: Which President was the first to pardon a turkey?
Answer: According to the White House Historical Association, the first president to pardon a turkey was John F. Kennedy. The words “pardon” and “reprieve” were used by the Washington Post in a 1963 article, with Kennedy saying “Let’s keep him going” in regard to the turkey. It wasn’t until 1989 that George H.W. Bush made the act of pardoning the turkey an official annual tradition, and it has continued every year since.
