In 1909, Sonora Smart Davis sat in a church on Mothers’ Day and heard a sermon that gave the idea of a similar day for fathers. Her father had raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth. Sonora was inspired by Anna Jarvis, who had come up with the idea of Mother’s Day. Ms. Davis approached the local YMCA, government officials, and churches and there was lot of support for a day honoring fathers. On June 19, 1910, the city of Spokane, Washington celebrated fathers. June was chosen because it was the birth month of her father. Davis gave presents to handicapped fathers, boys from the YMCA wore flowers – red for a living father, white for a deceased. Priests gave sermons about dads. The idea spread to other states. In 1916, Pres. Wilson pushed a button in Washington, DC which unfurled a flag in Spokane. In 1924, Pres. Coolidge encouraged states to celebrate it. By this time, the third Sunday in June was the designated day. It had a hard time catching on at first. Many men looked upon it as being effeminate. They did not want to get flowers and gifts. Plus, often the money to buy them came from their pockets. Some men disliked the commercial nature of the holiday. But this is America, so making money off a holiday is part of our DNA. In the Great Depression, storekeepers made a push for people to show their love for their fathers by buying ties, hats, pipes, golf clubs, etc. WWII sealed the deal by associating Father’s’ Day with honoring servicemen. In 1966, Pres. Lyndon Johnson recognized it as a national holiday and in 1972, Nixon declared it an official holiday. This was 58 years after Mother’s Day became official. Better late than never, right guys?
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/fathers-day
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fathers-Day
https://www.almanac.com/forgotten-history-fathers-day
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