Mrs. John B. Dodd,
of Washington, first proposed the idea of a "father's
day" in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to
honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil
War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's
mother) died in childbirth with 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. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she
realized the strength and selflessness her father had
shown in raising his children as a single parent.
The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910
in Spokane, Washington. At about the same time in various
towns and cities across America other people were beginning
to celebrate a "father's day." In 1924 President
Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's
Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed
a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday
of June as Father's Day.
Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your
father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers,
uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all
to be honored on Father's Day. |