Washington's Birthday

"Presidents' Day" redirects here. For the holiday in Botswana, see Presidents' Day (Botswana). For the split album, see President's Day Split 7". For Washington's actual birthdate, see February 22.
Washington's Birthday

Portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart
Official name Washington's Birthday
Also called Presidents Day
or a variant thereof
Observed by United States
Type Federal (and most U.S. states)
Observances Community, historical celebrations; honoring the veterans and purple heart recipients; Congressional recognition.
Date Third Monday in February
2014 date February 17
2015 date February 16
2016 date February 15
2017 date February 20
Frequency annual
Related to Lincoln's Birthday
Sign stating it is Washington's birthday
Los Angeles streetcar decorated for Washington's Birthday, c. 1892
Washington's Birthday--Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street, by Childe Hassam, 1916
Flag and bunting mark Washington's Birthday in Toronto, Ontario.

Washington's Birthday is a United States federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States. Colloquially, it is widely known as Presidents Day and is often an occasion to remember all the presidents, not just George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is also in February.[1][2] The term "Presidents Day" was coined in a deliberate attempt to change holiday into one honoring multiple presidents.[3]

The day is also a state holiday in most states with official names including Presidents' Day, President's Day and Washington's and Lincoln's Birthday.[1] Depending upon the specific law, the state holiday might celebrate officially Washington alone, Washington and Lincoln, or some other combination of U.S. presidents.[1] Some states celebrate Washington and the third president Thomas Jefferson but not Lincoln.[1]

Official state holidays

Although Lincoln's birthday, February 12, was never a federal holiday, nearly half of the state governments have officially renamed their Washington's Birthday observances as "Presidents' Day", "Washington and Lincoln Day", or other such designations. (In historical rankings of Presidents of the United States Lincoln and Washington are frequently, but not always, the top two presidents.) However, "Presidents' Day" is not always an all-inclusive term and might refer to only a selection of presidents.

In the following states and possessions, Washington's Birthday is an official state holiday and known as:[4]

Using "president"

Washington alone

Washington and Lincoln

Washington and another person

Unspecified

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.[12] In California,[13] Connecticut, Missouri, and Illinois, while Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday, Abraham Lincoln's birthday is still a state holiday, falling on February 12 regardless of the day of the week. In New Mexico, Presidents' Day, at least as a state-government paid holiday, is observed on the Friday following Thanksgiving.[14] In Georgia, Presidents' Day, at least as a state-government paid holiday, is observed on Christmas Eve (Observed on the prior Thursday if Christmas falls on Saturday; observed on the prior Friday if Christmas falls on a Sunday. If December 24 is a Wednesday, then this holiday is observed on Friday December 26.)[15]

History

The federal holiday honoring George Washington was originally implemented by an Act of Congress in 1879 for government offices in Washington (20 Stat. 277) and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices (23 Stat. 516). As the first federal holiday to honor an American president, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22.[16] On January 1, 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.[17] This date places it between February 15 and 21, which makes the name "Washington's Birthday" in some sense a misnomer, since it never occurs on Washington's actual birthday, either February 11 (Old Style), or February 22 (New Style).

The first attempt to create a Presidents Day occurred in 1951 when the "President's Day National Committee" was formed by Harold Stone Bridge 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. However, the bill recognizing the March 4 date was stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee (which had authority over federal holidays). That committee felt that, because of its proximity to Lincoln's and Washington's Birthdays, three holidays so close together would be unduly burdensome. During this time, however, the Governors of a majority of the individual states issued proclamations declaring March 4 to be Presidents' Day in their respective jurisdictions.

An early draft of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act would have renamed the holiday to "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 as Washington's Birthday.

By the mid-1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term "Presidents' Day" began its public appearance.[3]

In Washington's adopted hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, celebrations are held throughout the month of February.[18]

Observance and traditions

Today, the February holiday has become well known for being a day in which many stores, especially car dealers, hold sales. Until the late 1980s, corporate businesses generally closed on this day, similar to present corporate practices on Memorial Day or Christmas Day. With the late 1980s advertising push to rename the holiday, more and more businesses are staying open on the holiday each year, and, as on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day, most delivery services outside of the U.S. Postal Service now offer regular service on the day as well. Some public transit systems have also gone to regular schedules on the day. Many colleges and universities hold regular classes and operations on Presidents' Day. Various theories exist for this, one accepted reason being to make up for the growing trend of corporations to close in observance of the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Conversely, many schools and business formerly open on this day began closing after the observance of Dr. King's birthday holiday became prevalent. This was done in order not to diminish Washington's birthday in comparison to King's. However, when reviewing the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill debate of 1968 in the Congressional Record, one notes that supporters of the Bill were intent on moving federal holidays to Mondays to promote business.

Consequently, some schools, which used to close for a single day for both Lincoln's and Washington's birthday, now often close for the entire week (beginning with the Monday holiday) as a "mid-winter recess". For example, the New York City school district began doing so in the 1990s.

The federal holiday Washington's Birthday honors the accomplishments of the man known as "The Father of his Country". Celebrated for his leadership in the founding of the nation, he was the Electoral College's unanimous choice to become the first President; he was seen as a unifying force for the new republic and set an example for future holders of the office.

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. As with Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Washington's Birthday offers another opportunity to honor the country's veterans.

Community celebrations often display a lengthy heritage. Washington's hometown of historic Alexandria, Virginia, hosts a month-long tribute, including the longest running George Washington Birthday parade, while the community of Eustis, Florida, continues its annual "George Fest" celebration begun in 1902. In Denver, Colorado there is a society dedicated to observing the day.[19] At the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County, Virginia, and at Mount Vernon, visitors are treated to birthday celebrations throughout the federal holiday weekend and through February 22.

In 2007 the country celebrated both Washington's 275th birthday and the 75th anniversary of the rebirth of the Purple Heart medal.

Since 1862 there has been a tradition in the United States Senate that George Washington's Farewell Address[20] be read on his birthday. Citizens had asked that this be done in light of the approaching Civil War. The annual tradition continues with the reading of the address on or near Washington's Birthday.

Spelling

Because "Presidents' Day" is not the official name of the federal holiday, there is variation in how it is rendered, both in the name of official state holidays and colloquially. Both "Presidents Day" and "Presidents' Day" are common today, and both are considered correct by dictionaries and usage manuals. "Presidents' Day" was once the predominant style, and it is still favored by leading authorities, notably, The Chicago Manual of Style, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Webster's Third International Dictionary, and Garner's Modern American Usage. In recent years, as the use of attributive nouns (nouns acting as modifiers) has become more widespread, the popularity of "Presidents Day" has increased.[21] This style is favored by the Associated Press Stylebook (followed by most newspapers and some magazines) and the Writer's Digest Grammar Desk Reference (ISBN 978-1582973357).

"President's Day" is a misspelling when used with the intention of celebrating more than one individual (see also apostrophe). However, as an alternate rendering of "Washington's Birthday," or for the purpose of commemorating of the presidency as an institution, it is a proper use of a possessive. Indeed, this latter spelling was considered for the official federal designation by U.S. Rep. Robert McClory (IL) who was tasked with getting the 1968 Uniform Monday Holiday Act through the House Judiciary Committee. Though "President's Day" is sometimes seen in print,[22] even on government websites,[23] this style is not endorsed by any major dictionary or usage authority, but is the legal spelling in eight states.

Dates

Year Washington's Birthday
1971 1999 2027 2055 2083 February 15
1972 2000 2028 2056 2084 February 21
1973 2001 2029 2057 2085 February 19
1974 2002 2030 2058 2086 February 18
1975 2003 2031 2059 2087 February 17
1976 2004 2032 2060 2088 February 16
1977 2005 2033 2061 2089 February 21
1978 2006 2034 2062 2090 February 20
1979 2007 2035 2063 2091 February 19
1980 2008 2036 2064 2092 February 18
1981 2009 2037 2065 2093 February 16
1982 2010 2038 2066 2094 February 15
1983 2011 2039 2067 2095 February 21
1984 2012 2040 2068 2096 February 20
1985 2013 2041 2069 2097 February 18
1986 2014 2042 2070 2098 February 17
1987 2015 2043 2071 2099 February 16
1988 2016 2044 2072 2100 February 15
1989 2017 2045 2073 February 20
1990 2018 2046 2074 February 19
1991 2019 2047 2075 February 18
1992 2020 2048 2076 February 17
1993 2021 2049 2077 February 15
1994 2022 2050 2078 February 21
1995 2023 2051 2079 February 20
1996 2024 2052 2080 February 19
1997 2025 2053 2081 February 17
1998 2026 2054 2082 February 16

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Washington's Birthday.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Strauss, Valerie (February 16, 2014). "Why Presidents’ Day Is slightly strange". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Presidents' Day". HIP Pocket Change. United States Mint. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Arbelbide, C.L. (Winter 2004). "By George, It Is Washington's Birthday!". Prologue Magazine 36 (4). Retrieved February 13, 2009.
  4. ↑ See Public holidays in the United States for citations.
  5. ↑ http://www.nd.gov/tax/misc/state-holidays.html
  6. ↑ "RCW 1.16.050". Revised Code of Washington.
  7. ↑ CRS 24-11-101
  8. ↑ ORC 1.14
  9. ↑ https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=645.44
  10. ↑ http://inform.alabama.gov/calendar.aspx
  11. ↑ Cal. Gov. Code § 6700(a)(5)
  12. ↑ "Section 15VV Presidents Day". The General Laws of Massachusetts. ch. 6, § 15vv. (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.)
  13. ↑ Cal. Gov. Code § 6700(a)(4)
  14. ↑ "Official State Holidays". New Mexico State Treasurer's Office. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  15. ↑ http://georgia.gov/popular-topic/observing-state-holidays
  16. ↑ 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 the English Colonies (1752), he opted to begin observing his birthday anniversary on the equivalent date of February 22, 1732.
  17. ↑ "Uniform Monday Holiday Act". National Archives and Records Administration. January 15, 1968. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  18. ↑ The George Washington Birthday Celebration
  19. ↑ "The Charter". Presidents Day Society. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Washington's Farewell Address". United States Senate. Archived from the original on July 30, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  21. ↑ Nelson, Pam (March 23, 2006). "Kids Day or Kids' Day". Grammar Guide. The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC). Archived from the original on March 19, 2009.
  22. ↑ Hertzberg, Hendrik (February 19, 2007). "Too Many Chiefs". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  23. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (February 19, 2007). "President Bush Visits Mount Vernon, Honors President Washington's 275th Birthday on President's Day" (Press release). The White House. Retrieved January 21, 2014.