Fathers Day is coming up, and it is important to know the history. 

In Washington state, the United States celebrated Fathers Day for the first time on June 19th, 1910, but it was not made an official holiday until 1972 by Richard Nixon. 

Father’s Day was ultimately inspired by Mother’s Day which was first celebrated during the civil war era to bring together the mothers of the union and confederate soldiers. This celebration was called “Mother’s Work Days” according to History.

Mother’s Day was celebrated for years, but did not become a national holiday until Woodrow Wilson made it official in 1914. 

In 1910, the idea of Father’s Day came from Sonora Smart Dodd who was raised by a widower, and wanted to honor her Father by establishing a holiday equivalent to Mother’s Day. 

Dodd went to churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials in Washington State in an attempt to establish a holiday for Father’s, and she was successful. The first statewide celebration of Father’s Day occurred in 1910. 

While Mother’s Day caught on fast, Father’s Day did not get the same enthusiasm. Father’s Day slowly spread throughout the states and was finally made official in 1972 by Richard Nixon. 

This year Father’s Day will occur on Sunday, June 20, 2021.