Amon G. Carter's Turkey Tradition

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Amon G. Carter Sr. (1879-1955) held many different titles throughout his lifetime—entrepreneur, father, publisher, philanthropist, civic booster—and is best described as “Mr. Fort Worth,” an ambitious leader who made it his life's mission to put Fort Worth, Texas on the map. 

Of all the distinct character traits that Carter possessed, he was invariably known for his generosity and grandiose gift-giving. Recipients of Carter’s gifts were often of past, present, or future importance to Fort Worth and/or West Texas. Carter famously gave away his signature Shady Oak hat (which Carter designed in collaboration with Tom Peters and John B. Stetson) to countless people including British royalty, U.S. presidents, and movie stars alike. "Du Ponts and Mellons and Roosevelts, the Eisenhowers, Babe Ruth and the Whitneys, Amelia Earhart and Prince Bernhardt of the Netherlands..." writes author Jerry Flemmons of Carter’s vast network of friends in his book Amon: The Texan Who Played Cowboy for America.  

In an article titled "Colonel Carter of Cartersville," published in 1937 by the Saturday Evening Post, writer Alva Johnston described the branches of Carter’s Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts, in order of importance, as “The Paperhselled Pecan Peerage, the Pink-Meated Grapefruit Legion, the Texas Shady Oak Hat Order, the Hundred-Pound Watermelon Cast, and the Smoked Turkey Aristocracy" (Flemmons, p. 117). The ritual of holiday giving became, as the Shady Oak hat, a symbol of Amon Carter. Katrine Deakins, Carter’s secretary, kept a complicated coded list on a master register for all holiday offerings and said lists were regularly updated “by the vagaries of Amon’s temper” (Flemmons, p. 118).  

As such, the status of Carter’s relationship with the recipient determined what type of gift was sent and of the various edible gifts sent by Carter, his Shady Oak turkeys were most coveted and indicated deep respect for the recipient. Turkeys were delivered across the nation as early as the mid-1920s with help from Carter's “Hired Hand.” Carter sent turkeys to hundreds of his highly esteemed friends consisting mostly of celebrities and dignitaries, but also included those who worked in the banking, oil, railroading, insurance, advertising, and newspaper industries. The turkeys were originally shipped live in wooden crates but were eventually replaced by cooked smoked turkeys in the 1930s.

The recipients, particularly those in big cities, were sometimes puzzled upon receiving their large Texas turkey. Gilbert T. Hodges, president of the Advertising Club of New York, received one for Christmas in 1928, according to the New York Sun. His modern New York City apartment was “not designed with an eye to the accommodation of live turkeys." While some of the turkeys went straight to butcher, Mr. and Mrs. Hodges decided to rent out the vacant apartment across the hall from their own to temporarily house the bird, and became attached to the turkey, naming him “Richard.” 

Author's note: A portion of the photographs used in this blog were recently digitized as part of a grant-funded project titled "Emperor of West Texas - Digitizing the Amon G. Carter Papers." The $50,000 grant was awarded jointly to TCU Library Special Collections and UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). The project aimed to digitize all materials related to the publisher, entrepreneur, and Fort Worth promoter Amon G. Carter. 

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Sources

Cervantez, Brian. Amon Carter: A Lone Star Life. University of Oklahoma Press, 2019.

Flemmons, Jerry. Amon: The Texan Who Played Cowboy for America. Texas Tech University Press, 1998.

Lieber, Dave. Amon! The Ultimate Texan. Yankee Cowboy Publishing, 2019. 

Schiller, Joseph D. Nature's Entrepreneur: Amon Carter and the Remaking of Texas. Minnesota State University, 2012.