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Father's Day is always
the third Sunday in
June. Father's Day
honors the role of dads
and men who serve in
father-like roles in the
lives of others.
Fathers,
grandfathers,
stepfathers,
fathers-to-be all have a
day to stand in the
spotlight on Father's
Day. As
"non-traditional" family
structures become more
common, any nurturing
man – "big brothers,"
brothers-in-law, uncles,
neighbors and others who
are "like a father" – is
likely to be honored on
Father's Day.
Father's Day
originated in 1909 when
a woman named Sonora
Dodd came up with the
idea. Mrs. Dodd's
father, William Jackson
Smart, had raised her
and her five siblings
after their mother died
in childbirth. While
listening to a
Mother's
Day sermon at a church
near her family's home
in eastern Washington
State, Mrs. Dodd thought
about the sacrifices her
father had made for his
children and the fine
job he had done in
raising them. Because
her father had been born
in June, she decided to
encourage the churches
in her area to honor
fathers in June. Through
her efforts, the first
Father's Day was
celebrated in Spokane,
Washington, in June
1910.
Although Congress
passed several
resolutions over the
years in support of
Father's Day, it did not
become an official U.S.
holiday until 1972, when
then-President Nixon
issued a proclamation
declaring the third
Sunday in June as
Father's Day in the
United States.
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