Presidents' Day Explained

Holiday Name:Washington's Birthday
Presidents' Day
Type:national, state and municipal
Longtype:Federal and most U.S. states and cities
Official Name:Varies by federal, state and city law
Observedby:United States
Weekday:Sunday
Month:February 2022
Duration:1 day
Scheduling:nth weekday of the month
Frequency:Annual
Celebrations:Community and national celebrations
Relatedto:Lincoln's Birthday
Firsttime:1879 (as an official federal holiday)

Presidents' Day, officially Washington's Birthday at the federal governmental level, is a holiday in the United States celebrated on the third Monday of February. It is often celebrated to honor all those who served as presidents of the United States and, since 1879, has been the federal holiday honoring Founding Father George Washington, who led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolutionary War, presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and was from 1789 to 1797 the first U.S. president.[1]

The day is an official state holiday in most states under various names.[2] Depending upon the specific law, the state holiday may officially celebrate Washington alone, Washington and Abraham Lincoln, or some other combination of U.S. presidents (such as Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who was born in April).

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 (N.S.). Washington's Birthday was celebrated on this date from 1879 until 1970. To give federal employees a three-day weekend, in 1968 the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved it to the third Monday in February, which can occur from February 15 to the 21st. The day soon became known as Presidents(') Day[3] (the presence and placement of the apostrophe varies) and provides an occasion to remember all the U.S. presidents, to honor Abraham Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays together, or any single president of choice.

As many states and cities followed suit, some states that had been celebrating Lincoln's birthday on February 12 combined the two into Presidents Day. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War, preserved the Union, abolished slavery, bolstered the federal government, and modernized the U.S. economy.

Official state holidays

Lincoln's Birthday, February 12, was never a federal holiday, but nearly half the state governments have officially renamed their observances "Presidents' Day", "Washington and Lincoln Day", or other such designations. (In historical rankings of presidents of the United States, Lincoln and Washington are often the top two.)

In the following states and territories of the United States, this same day is an official state holiday and known as[4] —

Using "President" in the official title:

Using "Washington" alone:

Using both "Washington" and "Lincoln":

Using "Washington" and another person:

Using something else:

Not a holiday:

Several states honor presidents with official state holidays that do not fall on the third Monday of February. In Massachusetts, the state officially celebrates "Washington's Birthday" on the same day as the federal holiday. State law also directs the governor to issue an annual "Presidents Day" proclamation on May 29 (John F. Kennedy's birthday), honoring the presidents with Massachusetts roots: Kennedy, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Calvin Coolidge.[28] In California,[29] Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan,[30] and New Jersey, Lincoln's Birthday is a separate state holiday celebrated on February 12. In Missouri, Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday, observed on the third Monday in February, and Abraham Lincoln's birthday is observed on the Monday closest to February 12 (always the Monday preceding Washington's Birthday).

In New Mexico, Presidents' Day, at least as a state-government paid holiday, is observed on the Friday following Thanksgiving,[31] [32] although the legal public holiday remains the third Monday in February.[33] In Georgia, Washington's Birthday is not a state-government paid holiday, although until 2018 it was officially observed on Christmas Eve.[34] Similarly, in Indiana, Washington's Birthday is observed on Christmas Eve, or the day preceding the weekend if Christmas falls on Saturday or Sunday, while Lincoln's Birthday is the day after Thanksgiving.[35]

History

George Washington was born on February 11, 1731 (O.S.), at his parents' Pope's Creek Estate near Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Virginia, now the George Washington Birthplace National Monument. At the time, the entire British Empire, including its North American possessions, was on the Julian calendar; the Empire, not being bound to the Catholic Church, had not yet adopted the modern Gregorian calendar that Catholic countries had adopted in 1582. Consequently, by the 1730s, the Julian calendar used by Britain and the Colonies was eleven days behind the Gregorian, because of leap year differences. Furthermore, the British civil year began on March 25 rather than January 1, so that dates in February (such as this one) 'belonged' to the preceding year. (See Dual dating). In 1752, The British Empire switched to the Gregorian calendar; since then, Americans born prior to 1752, including Washington, have typically had their birthdays recognized according to the Gregorian calendar ("New Style" dates).[36] Since February 11, 1731, on the Julian calendar was February 22, 1732, on the Gregorian, and he was alive at the time the change was made, Washington changed his birth date to February 22, 1732, to match the new calendar.[37]

The federal holiday honoring Washington was originally implemented by an Act of Congress in 1879 for government offices in Washington and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices . As the first federal holiday to honor an American president, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's birthday under the Gregorian calendar, February 22.[38] On January 1, 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.[39] This places it between February 15 and 21, which makes "Washington's Birthday" something of a misnomer, since it never occurs on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. (A rough analogue of this phenomenon can be seen in Commonwealth realms, where the reigning monarch's official birthday is celebrated without regard to the monarch's actual date of birth.)

The first attempt to create a Presidents Day occurred in 1951 when the "President's Day National Committee" was formed by Harold Stonebridge Fischer of Compton, California, who became its National Executive Director for the next two decades. The purpose was not to honor any particular president but to honor the office of the presidency. It was first thought that March 4, the original inauguration day, should be deemed Presidents Day, but the bill recognizing March 4 stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee (which had authority over federal holidays). The committee felt that, given its proximity to Lincoln's and Washington's Birthdays, three holidays so close together would be unduly burdensome. But meanwhile the governors of a majority of the states issued proclamations declaring March 4 Presidents' Day in their respective jurisdictions.[40]

An early draft of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act would have renamed the holiday "Presidents' Day" to honor the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln, which would explain why the chosen date falls between the two, but this proposal failed in committee, and the bill was voted on and signed into law on June 28, 1968, keeping the name "Washington's Birthday".[40] [41]

By the mid-1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term "Presidents' Day" began its public appearance.[42]

In Washington's adopted hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, celebrations are held throughout February.[43]

Observance and traditions

A food traditionally associated with the holiday is cherry pie, based on the legend of Washington in his youth chopping down a cherry tree.[44]

Until the late 1980s, corporate businesses generally closed on this day, similar to present corporate practices on Memorial Day or Christmas Day.[45] However, after having been moved to the third Monday, most businesses remain open with many offering sales and other promotions. Federal and state government services close (U.S. Postal Service, state Departments of Motor Vehicles, federal and state courts).[46] Class schedules at universities and colleges vary depending on the school. Public elementary and secondary schools are generally closed, but some school districts, such as New York City, may close for an entire week as a "mid-winter recess".[47]

The holiday is also a tribute to the general who created the first military badge of merit for the common soldier. Revived on Washington's 200th birthday in 1932, the Purple Heart medal (which bears Washington's image) is awarded to soldiers who are injured in battle.[48]

Community celebrations often display a lengthy heritage. Laredo, Texas, hosts a monthlong tribute, as does Washington's hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, which includes what is claimed to be the nation's longest-running and largest George Washington Birthday parade.[49] Eustis, Florida, holds an annual "GeorgeFest" celebration that began in 1902,[50] and in Denver, Colorado, there is a society dedicated to observing the day.[51] At the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County, Virginia, visitors are treated to birthday celebrations on the holiday,[52] while at Mount Vernon they last throughout the holiday weekend and through February 22.[53]

Since 1862 there has been a tradition in the United States Senate that George Washington's Farewell Address be read on his birthday. Citizens asked that this be done in light of the ongoing Civil War.[54]

Sports

Since the mid-2000s, the National Basketball Association has held their annual All-Star festivities during the holiday weekend. As a result, no games are played on the holiday itself, and the season resumes the following Thursday.

The day before Presidents Day is the traditional running of the Daytona 500 NASCAR race; there have been occasions when the race was cut short, or either finished on or postponed entirely to the holiday due to inclement weather, the most recent of which was the 2024 edition.

Punctuation

Because "Presidents' Day" is not the official name of the federal holiday, there is variation in how it is rendered, both colloquially and in the name of official state holidays.[55]

When used with the intention of celebrating more than one individual, the form "Presidents' Day" was usual in the past. This is celebrating President Washington Day, President Fillmore Day, up to President Biden Day, individually.[56] In recent years, as the use of attributive nouns (nouns acting as modifiers) has become more widespread, the form "Presidents Day" has become more common (It would mean celebrating Presidents Washington through Biden Day collectively);[57] the Associated Press Stylebook, most newspapers and some magazines use this form.[58]

"President's Day" as an alternate rendering of any one particular president, or for the purpose of commemorating the presidency as an institution, is a proper use of a possessive and is the legal rendering in eight states.[59]

Dates

Year Presidents' Day
19942000200520112022 2028 2033February 21 (week 8)
19952006 20122017 2023 2034February 20 (week 8)
199620012007 2018 2024 2029 2035February 19 (week 8)
20022008 201320192030 2036February 18 (week 7)
1997 20032014202020252031February 17 (week 7)
1998 200420092015202620322037February 16 (week 7)
1999 2010 2016202120272038February 15 (week 7)

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: George Washington's Life . George Washington's Mount Vernon . 12 February 2024 .
  2. News: Valerie . Strauss . Why Presidents' Day Is slightly strange . February 17, 2014 . . February 16, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140218163220/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/16/why-presidents-day-is-slightly-strange/ . February 18, 2014 . mdy-all .
  3. Web site: 2021-02-12. Presidents' Day. 2021-07-06. govinfo.gov. en.
  4. See Public holidays in the United States for citations.
  5. Web site: Years 2016 and 2017 Holidays to be observed by the Hawaii State Government . August 11, 2015 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20170125111850/https://dhrd.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/State-Holidays-2016-2017.pdf . January 25, 2017 . February 19, 2017.
  6. Web site: Holidays . Office of Management and Budget . . February 20, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170221105657/https://www.nd.gov/omb/agency/state-government-human-resource-management/state-hr-laws-rules-and-policies/holidays . February 21, 2017 .
  7. Web site: Act 138 of 1893 . last amended by Act of December 13, 1985, P.L. 329, No. 88
  8. Web site: Vermont Laws . legislature.vermont.gov . 19 January 2023.
  9. Web site: RCW 1.16.050 . Revised Code of Washington . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150203183442/http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=1.16.050 . February 3, 2015 .
  10. Web site: State of Arizona . February 19, 2023 . A.R.S. § 1-301. Holidays enumerated. . February 19, 2023 . Arizona State Legislature, Revised Statutes.
  11. Web site: Va. Code § 2.2-3300. Legal holidays. . Code of Virginia . 13 February 2023.
  12. Web site: State of Connecticut . February 19, 2023 . C.G.S. § 1-4. Days designated as legal holidays. . February 19, 2023 . Connecticut General Assembly, General Statutes, Chapter 2.
  13. Web site: State of Florida . February 19, 2023 . Fla. Code § 683.01 Legal holidays. . February 19, 2023 . 2020 Florida Statutes . Florida Senate.
  14. Web site: Office of the Secretary of the State . State Holidays . February 20, 2023 . Illinois Secretary of State.
  15. Web site: Public Holidays and Recognition Days, §1C,2 . . December 13, 2016 . February 20, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161222150708/https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/1c.pdf . December 22, 2016 .
  16. Web site: Massachusetts Legal Holidays. www.sec.state.ma.us. February 16, 2019.
  17. Web site: Legal Holidays (Excerpt). February 16, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170828125531/http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(qnxbujadh5mtmjim031wjdcf))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectname=mcl-435-101. August 28, 2017. mdy-all.
  18. Web site: State of North Carolina . February 19, 2023 . N.C.G.S. § 103-4. Dates of public holidays. . February 19, 2023 . North Carolina General Assembly, Enacted Legislation, Statutes.
  19. Web site: N.J.S.A. § 36:1-1 (2022) Legal holidays. . 2022 New Jersey Revised Statutes, Title 36 - Legal Holidays . Justia.com.
  20. Web site: New York State Holidays. September 15, 2016. NY Office of General Services, Business Services Center. April 13, 2019. January 24, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170124200845/https://bsc.ogs.ny.gov/sites/default/files/BSCAnnouncementStateHolidays91516.pdf. dead.
  21. Web site: Colorado Revised Statutes Title 24. Government State § 24-11-101. Legal holidays – effect . . February 16, 2017 . February 20, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170221114525/http://codes.findlaw.com/co/title-24-government-state/co-rev-st-sect-24-11-101.html . February 21, 2017 .
  22. Web site: 1.14 Excluding first and including last day – legal holidays . . April 10, 2001 . February 20, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170219071355/http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/gp1.14 . February 19, 2017 .
  23. Web site: Washington and Lincoln Day in Utah, per state code . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220154047/http://senatesite.com/utahsenate/washington-lincoln-day/ . December 20, 2016 . February 13, 2015 .
  24. Web site: 2016 Minnesota Statutes . Revisor of Statutes . February 20, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161124021554/https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=645.44 . November 24, 2016 .
  25. Web site: 2017 Holiday Schedule . February 2017 . . February 20, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170205173025/http://inform.alabama.gov/calendar.aspx . February 5, 2017 .
  26. Web site: California government code . 21 February 2023.
  27. Web site: DHR - Division of Labor Relations and Employment Practices - 2022 State Holidays.
  28. Web site: Section 15VV Presidents Day . The General Laws of Massachusetts . ch. 6, § 15vv . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120124224452/http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section15vv . January 24, 2012 . mdy-all . (Coolidge was the only one born outside of Massachusetts. George H. W. Bush, on the other hand, was born in Massachusetts, but has spent most of his life elsewhere.)
  29. Cal. Gov. Code § 6700(a)(4)
  30. Web site: Michigan Legislature - Section 435.101. legislature.mi.gov.
  31. Web site: Official State Holidays . New Mexico State Treasurer's Office . January 21, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111107102812/http://www.stonm.org/AboutTheTreasurersOffice/OfficialStateHolidays . November 7, 2011 . mdy-all .
  32. Web site: General Memorandum 2019-003 . New Mexico State Personnel Board . November 9, 2019.
  33. Web site: New Mexico Statutes Chapter 12. Miscellaneous Public Affairs Matters § 12-5-2. Legal holidays; designation .
  34. Web site: Observing State Holidays . . August 5, 2016 . February 20, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170226175333/https://georgia.gov/popular-topic/observing-state-holidays . February 26, 2017 .
  35. Web site: SPD: State Holidays . Indiana State Personnel Department . February 14, 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160301180846/http://www.in.gov/spd/2555.htm . March 1, 2016 . mdy-all .
  36. Book: Boorstin , Daniel . Daniel J. Boorstin . 1983 . The Discoverers . Random House . 8–10 . 978-0-394-72625-0 .
  37. Engber . Daniel . What's Benjamin Franklin's Birthday? . . January 18, 2006 . May 21, 2011 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110728003759/http://www.slate.com/id/2134455/ . July 28, 2011 .
  38. Washington was born on February 11, 1731, based on the Julian calendar then in use in the British Colonies. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in Great Britain, Ireland and the EMpire (1752), he opted to begin observing his birthday anniversary on the equivalent date of February 22, 1732.
  39. Web site: Uniform Monday Holiday Act . January 15, 1968 . . February 15, 2011 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110521194633/http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/winter/images/uniform-monday-holiday-law.jpg . May 21, 2011 . mdy-all .
  40. News: The Day That Isn't . . February 17, 2012 . . February 20, 2023 . en-US .
  41. Web site: Arbelbide. C. L.. By George, IT IS Washington's Birthday!. 2021-07-06. National Archives. Vol. 36, No. 4. August 15, 2016. en.
  42. Web site: By George, It Is Washington's Birthday! . Arbelbide . C.L. . Winter 2004 . 36 . 4 . . February 13, 2009 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20090219075850/http://archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/winter/gw-birthday-1.html . February 19, 2009 . mdy-all .
  43. http://www.visitalexandriava.com/calendar-of-events/alexandria-george-washington-birthday/ The George Washington Birthday Celebration
  44. News: Celebrate George Washington's birthday with cherry pie . Mirabile. Jasper J. Jr. . February 16, 2014 . . February 17, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161105201837/http://www.kansascity.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/chow-town/article339278/Celebrate-George-Washington%E2%80%99s-birthday-with-cherry-pie.html . November 5, 2016 .
  45. News: Presidents Day is being observed today, Feb. 20, 2017 . Glass . Andrew . February 20, 2017 . . February 17, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170301044907/http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/presidents-day-is-being-observed-today-feb-20-2017-235144 . March 1, 2017 .
  46. News: What is open and closed on Presidents Day? . May . Ashley . February 15, 2018 . . February 17, 2018 . en . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180215230140/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/02/15/what-open-and-closed-presidents-day/341577002/ . February 15, 2018 .
  47. Web site: 2017–2018 Holidays and Key Dates . New York City Department of Education . February 18, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171009052516/http://schools.nyc.gov/Calendar/default.htm . October 9, 2017 .
  48. News: A History of the Purple Heart . Miller . T. Christian . September 8, 2010 . National Public Radio . February 18, 2018 . en . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170720204828/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129711544 . July 20, 2017 .
  49. Web site: Parade . George Washington Birthday Celebration . en-US . February 18, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170905123059/http://washingtonbirthday.com/parade/ . September 5, 2017 .
  50. Web site: Celebrating 113 Years of GeorgeFest. Lake County News. February 28, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150318090601/http://lakecountyfl.gov/hometown_highlights/georgefest.aspx. March 18, 2015.
  51. Web site: The Charter . Presidents Day Society . January 21, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120713082202/http://www.presidentsdaysociety.org/blog/the-charter-articles-of-membership-and-portrayal/ . July 13, 2012 . mdy-all .
  52. Web site: George Washington Birthplace Birthday Celebration . Find Your Chesapeake . en . February 18, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180218072331/https://www.findyourchesapeake.com/events/detail/george-washington-birthplace-birthday-celebration . February 18, 2018 .
  53. Web site: Washington's Birthday Celebration . George Washington's Mount Vernon . en . February 18, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170709195626/http://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/calendar/events/washingtons-birthday-celebration/ . July 9, 2017 .
  54. Web site: Washington's Farewell Address . United States Senate . February 18, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171206013936/https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Washingtons_Farewell_Address.htm . December 6, 2017 .
  55. Too Many Chiefs . Hendrik . Hertzberg . . February 19, 2007 . February 22, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140404152437/http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2007/02/19/070219taco_talk_hertzberg . April 4, 2014 . mdy-all .
  56. Web site: Punctuation matters . . February 18, 2019 . 21 February 2023.
  57. News: Pam . Nelson . March 23, 2006 . Kids Day or Kids' Day . https://web.archive.org/web/20090319081932/http://blogsarchive.newsobserver.com/grammar/index.php?title=kids_day_or_kids_day_1&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 . March 19, 2009 . Grammar Guide . . Raleigh, NC.
  58. http://www.boston.com/news/history/2015/02/13/what-name-the-truth-about-presidents-day/MvHWeDlV1SHtrpZrtz8UPL/story.html "What’s in a Name: The Truth About Presidents Day"
  59. Office of the Press Secretary . President Bush Visits Mount Vernon, Honors President Washington's 275th Birthday on President's Day . February 19, 2007 . The White House . January 21, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20130507013224/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070219.html . May 7, 2013 . mdy-all .

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