Presidential Turkeys at the Willard Hotel

This photograph, taken by Andrea Hanks on November 24, 2019, shows a turkey enjoying its stay in a guest room at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. Turkeys Bread and Butter arrived at the luxury hotel in advance of the Turkey Pardon ceremony at the White House two days later. Butter was selected to receive a pardon from President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden ceremony following a national contest. After the ceremony, the pair of turkeys were transferred to 'Gobblers Rest' reserve in Blacksburg, Virginia to be cared for by veterinarians and students of Virginia Tech's Animal and Poultry Sciences Department. 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 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.