Did you know that it wasn't until 1972 that Father's Day was legally recognized in the United States? That's right, and although the tradition is nearing one hundred years old, it wasn't officially signed into law until April 24th, 1972 by President Richard Nixon. It then became an official permanent national day of observance, celebrated each year on the third Sunday of June.
Although President Nixon was given credit for signing Fathers' Day into a national day of observation, other presidents had a role in initiating and sustaining it through the years. President Lyndon B Johnson signed a proclamation declaring Father's Day a national day of observation back, in 1966. Ten years earlier, in 1956, Congress also became involved and played their role by recognizing Father's Day by joint resolution.
We have to travel back quite a few more years when another President had a significant influence on the events leading to the permanency of Father's day. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge publicly supported plans for “the widespread observance” of Father's Day, although he did not go as far as declaring it a national holiday, as “Mother's Day” already was. He believed it was an excellent opportunity for fathers to bond with their children, and thus reinforcing obligations to the family.
A little further back in history in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson observed a special observation of Father's Day with his family, but did not proclaim it a national holiday as he did with Mother's Day in May of 1914. Some speculate that honoring fathers would have been too self serving, since Congress at the time was represented entirely by men.
The original Father's Day observance dates back to the year 1910 in the United States. That year a young woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd, with the help of local churches and the YMCA managed to hastily organize the first father's day celebration. Her intentions were to have a small local celebration, not realizing at that time it would grow to the size that it has today. Sonora came up with the idea of honoring fathers, after listening to an earlier Mother's Day celebration. She felt it was important to honor fathers as well as mothers for all the sacrifices they gave in order to raise their children.
She was inspired by her own father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran who had settled and raised his family on a rural farm in eastern Washington State. Unfortunately, he was left to raise his six young children alone after the death of his wife during childbirth. Sonora loved and admired him, and when old enough and living in Spokane, she campaigned to have Father's Day celebrated on June 5th which was her father's birthday. However since a proper sermon and celebration required more time, the event could not be held until the third week in June where it has remained since.
A permanent stone engraved monument dedicated to Mrs. Dodd for her inspiration and activism to honor fathers was built outside the Spokane YMCA, where the first Father's Day celebration took place. She lived to be ninety six years old, passing away in 1978 and was buried at the Greenwood Memorial Terrace Cemetery in Spokane, Washington.
