The celebration of fathers dates back centuries. In Catholic countries of Europe, a day honoring fathers has been celebrated at least since 1508. Fathers are recognized on Saint Joseph’s Day, which falls on March 19. Many countries around the world have set aside a day to honor fathers.
Father’s Day in the United States was the idea of Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father was a twice-married, twice-widowed Civil War veteran, and the father of fourteen children. After Mother’s Day was established in 1908, she had the idea to create a similar holiday for fathers. The story goes that during her church’s Mother’s Day service in 1909, Dodd thought about her father. She said, “He was both father and mother to me and my brothers and sisters.” She believed that mothers deserved recognition, but so did fathers.
Dodd brought her idea to churches, businessmen, the YMCA, and government officials. She brought a request to the Spokane Ministerial Alliance, asking them to dedicate a Sunday to recognize fathers. The local clergy liked the idea. They settled on June 19, the third Sunday in June. The state of Washington held an official Father’s Day event on that day in 1910.
Not everyone embraced the idea. Many men scoffed at what they saw as “sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving.” In the 1920s, a movement arose to scrap both Mother’s and Father’s Day in favor of Parent’s Day. Supporters of Parent’s Day rallied in Central Park in New York City. One activist said, “Both parents should be loved and respected together.”
Father’s Day might have remained a local event, but Dodd pressed on to make it a national holiday. In spite of early resistance, the idea gradually caught on across the country. William Jennings Bryan, one of the most famous orators of the time, wrote to Dodd and expressed his support. In 1916, President Wilson pressed a button on a telegraph in Washington, D.C., that unfurled a flag in Spokane, Washington. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day.
Dodd’s efforts finally paid off. In 1972, six years before her death, President Richard Nixon signed a Congressional resolution declaring the third Sunday in June to be Father’s Day.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- History. “Father’s Day 2025.” https://www.history.com/articles/fathers-day Accessed 5/13/2025.
- History. “The Man Who Inspired Father’s Day.” https://www.history.com/articles/man-who-inspired-fathers-day-civil-war-vet-single-dad Accessed 5/13/2025.
