Mrs. John B.
Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a "father's day" in
1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to
honor her father, William Smart. William
Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's mother) died
in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr.
Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children on a rural farm
in eastern Washington state. It was
after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness
her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.
The first
Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington. At about the same time in various towns and
cities across American other people were beginning to celebrate a "father's
day." In 1924 President Calvin
Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day. In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith
wrote a proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while
honoring mothers, thus "[singling] out just one of our two parents.”
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson issued the first presidential
proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's
Day. Six years later, the day was made a
permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.
Father's Day is a day honoring fathers and celebrating
fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It is celebrated in 55 of the world's
countries and on other days elsewhere.
Father's Day is a day honoring fathers and celebrating
fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It is celebrated in 55 of the world's
countries and on other days elsewhere.
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