GivingGallery Father's Day

History of Father's Day

Father's Day is a day of commemoration and celebration of Dad. It is a day to not only honor your father, but all men who have acted as a father figure in your life - whether as Stepfathers, Uncles, Grandfathers, or "Big Brothers."

Father's Day , contrary to popular misconception, was not established as a holiday in order to help greeting card manufacturers sell more cards. In fact when a "Father's Day" was first proposed there were no Father's Day cards!

The United States and Canada has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June Father's Day is celebrated all across the country. Father's are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special. .

The origin of Father's Day is not clear. Some say that it began with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Father's Day ceremony was held in Vancouver , Washington .

Regardless of when the first true Father's Day occurred, the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane , Washington . She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington State .

After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. In 1909, Mrs. Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated to fathers on June 5, her father's birthday. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day . Children made special desserts, or visited their fathers if they lived apart.

In early times, wearing flowers was a traditional way of celebrating Father's Day . Mrs. Dodd favored the red rose to honor a father still living, while a white flower honored a deceased dad. J.H. Berringer, who also held Father's Day celebrations in Washington State as early as 1912, chose a white lilac as the Father's Day Flower.      

States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father's Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made Father's Day a national event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." Since then, fathers had been honored and Father's Day recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June. 

In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day and put the official stamp on a celebration that was going on for almost half a century.

Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. Woodrow Wilson was personally so feted by his family in 1916 , and Calvin Coolidge recommended Father's Day as a national holiday in 1924. The all-male U.S. Congress , however, was mindful that passing a measure so favorable to males could be seen as a conflict of interest. Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday in 1966 , but the holiday was not officially recognized until the presidency of Richard Nixon in 1972 .

Believe it or not, flowers are a part of Father's Day tradition. Red roses are worn on Father's Day to signify that one's Father is living, while white roses mean one's Father has died.

Only days before Father's Day an estimated 53% of Americans do not know what they will buy for the holiday. If they are like last year's consumers, 60% will buy cards, while the most popular gifts will be apparel (41%), dinner (38%), sporting goods (22%), home improvement merchandise (18%), electronics (17%), and gardening tools (12%).

Like them or not, neckties are the Father's Day gift. Americans spend more than $1 billion each year to buy a staggering 100 million ties. That's roughly one tie for every male over the age of 20 in the United States . Former president Clinton liked his colorful, while Regis Philbin wants his to match his shirt. The Duke of Windsor had a vast collection, but Col. Sanders always wears the same black one.

Today, Father's Day is as popular a holiday as Mother's Day. Although Father's Day is not celebrated on the same day everywhere in the world, the concept of honoring Dad with a special day seems to be universal.