The History of Father's Day

Last month, I wrote about the history of Mother's Day. With Father's Day just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to look at how this holiday came to be.

While Mother's Day was officially recognized in the United States in 1914, Father's Day took a little longer to catch on.

The idea is often credited to a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. After hearing a Mother's Day sermon in 1909, she felt fathers deserved recognition as well. Her own father, William Jackson Smart, had raised six children as a single parent after the death of his wife. So if anyone deserved a Father's Day, it was him!

Inspired by his dedication, Sonora worked to establish a day honoring fathers.

The first Father's Day celebration took place in Spokane on June 19, 1910.

Even so, it took decades for the holiday to gain widespread acceptance. Some people thought it was unnecessary, while others worried it would become overly commercialized. Sound familiar? And yeah, they weren't wrong.

But back then, over time, Americans embraced the idea of setting aside a day to recognize fathers and father figures for their love, sacrifice, and guidance.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father's Day a permanent national holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday in June.

As a writer of sweet historical romance, I often find myself thinking about fathers in my stories. Some are wise. Some are stubborn. Some are overprotective. Others quietly support their children from the background. But they all help shape the people our heroes and heroines become.

This Father's Day, whether you're celebrating a father, grandfather, stepfather, mentor, or another special man in your life, I hope you'll take a moment to let them know how much they mean to you and wish them Happy Father's Day!

Until Next Time

Kit