<P> The Eisenhower Presidential Library says documents in their collection reveal that President Dwight Eisenhower ate the birds presented to him during his two terms . President John F. Kennedy spontaneously spared a turkey on November 18, 1963, just four days before his assassination . The bird was wearing a sign reading, "Good Eating Mr. President ." Kennedy returned the massive 55 - pound (25 kg) turkey to the farm, saying "we'll let this one grow ." Scattered reports in The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times referred to it as a pardon, but Kennedy did not refer to it as such . Likewise, Richard Nixon also spared some of the turkeys given to him during his time as President . </P> <P> The first President on record issuing a "pardon" to his turkey was Ronald Reagan . Reagan had been sending the turkeys presented to him to farms and zoos since at least 1982, and 1987's turkey, Charlie, was likewise headed to a petting zoo . At the time, Reagan was facing questions over the Iran - Contra affair, on whether or not he would consider pardoning Oliver North (who had yet to be tried for his involvement in the affair); Reagan conjured the notion of the turkey pardon as a joke to deflect those questions . Reagan did not pardon a turkey in his final year as President in 1988, but his successor, George H.W. Bush, instituted the turkey pardon as a permanent part of the presentation beginning his first year in office, 1989, in response to the protests of animal rights activists . </P> <P> The phrase "presidential pardon" in that ceremony was apparently inserted by a speechwriter; Bush initially was indifferent to the terminology, saying "' Reprieve,' ' keep him going,' or' pardon': it's all the same for the turkey, as long as he doesn't end up on the president's holiday table ." Since then, at least one of the turkeys presented to the President has been taken to a farm where it will live out the rest of its natural life . For many years the turkeys were sent to Frying Pan Farm Park in Fairfax County, Virginia . From 2005 to 2009, the pardoned turkeys were sent to either the Disneyland Resort in California or the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, where they served as the honorary grand marshals of Disney's Thanksgiving Day Parade . In 2010, 2011 and 2012, the turkeys were sent to live at Mount Vernon, the estate and home of George Washington; Mount Vernon stopped displaying and accepting the turkeys due to the fact that they violated the estate's policy of maintaining its own historical accuracy (Washington never farmed turkeys). The 2013, 2014 and 2015 turkeys were sent to Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia, the estate of former Virginia governor (and prolific turkey farmer) Westmoreland Davis . Virginia Polytechnic Institute housed the 2016 pardoned turkey as well as the 2017 turkeys; Virginia Tech was chosen because of the college's poultry science program, and the National Turkey Federation wanted to begin a tradition of cooperation between the turkey industry and universities . </P> <P> The turkeys are raised in the same fashion as turkeys designated for slaughter and are fed a grain - heavy diet of fortified corn and soybeans to increase the birds' size . A flock of approximately 80 birds, typically from the farm of the current National Turkey Federation chairperson, are selected to be acclimated to handle loud noises, flash photography and large crowds; from the flock of 80, the 20 best - preened and best - behaved are chosen and eventually narrowed down to two finalists, whose names are chosen by the White House staff from suggestions by school children from the state where they were raised . Thanksgiving turkeys are bred and raised to provide more meat than those of the 1960s . Turkey hens are usually marketed at 14 weeks and weigh 15.5 pounds (7.0 kg) when processed . This compares to the tom, which takes 18 weeks to reach a market weight of 38 pounds (17 kg). The turkeys for the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation are usually 21 week - old toms (males) weighing 45 pounds by the time of their White House visit, compared to the shorter growing period for turkeys destined for market . </P>

What is the meaning of pardoning the turkey
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