The History of Father’s Day: One Daughter’s Devotion to Honoring her Father

To have a father—to be a father—is to come very near the heart of life itself.

Pres. Richard Nixon’s opening statement in his 1972 Father’s Day proclamation — more than 60 years after one daughter rallied for it in honor of her single dad.

The History: Father’s Day was inspired by William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran twice widowed with six children he raised himself. His daughter, Sonora, wanted to honor him after listening to a 1909 Mother’s Day sermon and rallied for local support for fathers to have their own day. The first Father’s Day took place in 1910 in Spokane, Washington, as Sonora encouraged people to honor fathers in June because her dad’s birthday was June 5th.

Interesting To Note: While Mother’s Day became official in 1914, Father’s Day did not become official until 1972, when President Nixon signed a proclamation officially designating the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day, making it a permanent national holiday.

Read More: Father’s Day Becomes A National Holiday (History, Art, & Archives)

Photo Credit: Jochen van Wylick / Unsplash