George Washington Father of Nation, Presidents Day
Monday, February 21, 2022 at 5:27AM Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
It's Presidents Day, a federal holiday meant to mark the accomplishments of our nation’s chief executives.
Such honors began after the death of George Washington in 1799, when his birthday was unofficially
celebrated as a day of remembrance called Washington Day. In 1832, a resolution permitted the removal and internment of George Washington’s body in the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. and the erection of the Washington Monument in 1848, leading to more nationwide celebrations.
In 1877 Steven Wallace Dorsey proposed that Washington’s birthday should become a national federal holiday and in 1879 President Rutherford B. Hayes signed it into. The day joined the then four existing bank holidays (Columbus Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day). Abraham Lincoln’s legacy and the proximity of his birthday on February 12, led to a proposal that Washington Day should become Presidents Day to celebrate both men, but that idea was rejected by Congress.
It wasn’t until the late 1960s when Rep. Robert McClory, R-Illinois, proposed a plan that moved bank holidays to Mondays to increase three-day weekends for workers with the Uniform Mondays Act.
In 1971, Richard M. Nixon issued an executive order to pass the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, shifting Washington’s Birthday (and combining Lincoln’s Birthday), Columbus Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans’ Day to Monday. Combing the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington birthdaysb created Presidents Day which is now a day to honor all who held the nation's highest office.