The History of Fathers Day

The History of Fathers Day Fathers Day is held on the third Sunday in June to celebrate and honor fathers.  And while the first Mothers Day was celebrated in 1914 after President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation making Mothers Day the second Sunday in May,  Fathers Day did not become official until 1966.   The Story of Fathers Day Who invented Fathers Day? While there are at least two or three different people credited with that honor, most historians consider Sonora Smart Dodd  of Washington State to be the first person to have proposed the holiday in 1910. Dodds father was a Civil War veteran named William Smart. Her mother died giving birth to her sixth child, which left William Smart a widower with five children to raise on his own. When Sonora Dodd married and had her own children, she realized what a tremendous job her father had done in raising her and her siblings as a single parent. After hearing her pastor give a sermon about the newly established Mothers Day, Sonora Dodd suggested to him that there should also be a Fathers Day and proposed that the date be June 5, her fathers birthday. However, her pastor needed more time to prepare a sermon, so he moved the date to June 19, the third Sunday of the month. Fathers Day Traditions One of the early ways established to celebrate Fathers Day was to wear a flower. Sonora Dodd suggested wearing a red rose if your father was still living  and wearing a white flower if your father was deceased. Later, presenting him with a special activity, gift, or a card became commonplace. Dodd spent years campaigning for Fathers Day to be celebrated nationally. She commissioned the help of mens goods manufacturers and others who might benefit from a Fathers Day, such as the makers of ties, tobacco pipes, and other products that would make for a suitable gift for fathers. In 1938, a Fathers Day Council was founded by the New York Associated Mens Wear Retailers to help with the widespread promotion of Fathers Day. Still, the public continued to resist the idea. Many Americans believed an official Fathers Day would be just another way for retailers to make money since the popularity of Mothers Day boosted the sale of gifts for mothers. Making Fathers Day Official As early as 1913, bills had been submitted to congress to recognize Fathers Day nationally. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson pushed to make Fathers Day official, but couldnt muster enough support from Congress. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge  would also recommend that Fathers Day be observed, but did not go so far as to issue a national proclamation. In 1957, Margaret Chase Smith, a senator from Maine, wrote a proposal that accused Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while only honoring mothers. It wasnt until 1966 that  President Lyndon Johnson  finally signed a presidential proclamation that made the third Sunday of June, Fathers Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon made Fathers Day a permanent national holiday. What  Gifts Fathers Want Forget about snazzy ties, cologne, or car parts. What fathers really want is family time. According to a Fox News report, About 87 percent of dads would rather have dinner with the family. Most fathers dont want another tie, as 65 percent said they would rather get nothing than another tie. And before you go running out to buy mens cologne, only 18 percent of dads said they want some kind of personal care product. And only 14 percent said they want automotive accessories.