Robert L.D. Cooper  Author, Historian, Freemason.

Father’s Day

June 5th, 2014 by Robert Cooper

This year Father’s Day is on Sunday, 15 June.

A special day to recognise the contribution of fathers was suggested by a Mrs. John B. Dodd, Washington State, USA.  Her father, William Smart, was a veteran of the Civil War. As a widower he raised his six children on a farm in the east of the state. Mrs. Dodd came to understand what her father had sacrificed in raising his children as a lone parent and this realisation led to her suggestion that a special day be set aside to recognise all fathers.

President Calvin Coolidge (1872 – 1933) supported Mrs. Dodd’s idea but it was not until 1966 that President Lyndon B. Johnson (1908 – 1973) signed a presidential proclamation declaring that henceforth the 3rd Sunday of June would be known as Father’s Day.

Exactly why the UK adopted this American inspired celebration of fathers and father figures is not known. For more information see: The Father’s Day Celebration web site.

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