Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day."
Her father William 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.
Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first
Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day.
Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring
the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
A little more in depth history
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day.
In 1926, a National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City.
In 1956, Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress.
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the
3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of
Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June.
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