Washington's Birthday

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"Presidents' Day" redirects here.
Washington's Birthday
Washington's Birthday
George Washington by Gilbert Stuart (1797)
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.
Related to Lincoln's Birthday

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, who was born on February 22, 1732.[1] Since the Uniform Federal Holidays Act of 1971, its observance can occur from February 15 to 21, inclusive.[2]

Colloquially, the day is also now widely known as Presidents' Day and is often an occasion to honor all who have served as president, not just George Washington.[3][4]

The day is a state holiday in most states, with official names including Washington's Birthday, Presidents' Day, President's Day, and Washington's and Lincoln's Birthday.[3] Depending upon the specific law, the state holiday might officially celebrate Washington alone, Washington and Abraham Lincoln (whose birthday is February 12), or some other combination of U.S. presidents (such as Washington and the third president Thomas Jefferson, who was born in April).[3]

History

Procession of events for the centennial celebration of Washington's birthday, Philadelphia, February 1832

George Washington was born on February 11, 1731 (Old Style), at his parents' Pope's Creek Estate near Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Virginia. 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, due to 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 under what their birthday would have been under the Gregorian calendar ("New Style" dates). Since, during the 1700s, February 11 under the Julian calendar would fall as February 22 on the Gregorian, Washington's birthday has been generally recognized as February 22, 1732.[5] Washington's Birthday sign, 1890–1899c. 1890–1899 The federal holiday honoring 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 birthday under the Gregorian calendar, February 22.[6] On January 1, 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.[7] 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 analog of this phenomenon can be seen in Commonwealth realms, where the reigning monarch's official birthday is celebrated without regard to their 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.[8]

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".[8]

By the mid-1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term "Presidents' Day" began its public appearance.[9]

In Washington's adopted hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, celebrations are held throughout February.[10]

Official state holidays

File:American Flag display in Toronto on Washington's Birthday 2007.jpg
Flag and bunting mark Washington's Birthday in Toronto, Ontario

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.

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.[2]

When used with the intention of celebrating more than one individual, the form "Presidents' Day" was usual in the past. 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;[11] the Associated Press Stylebook, most newspapers and some magazines use this form.[12]

"President's Day" as an alternate rendering of "Washington's Birthday", or for the purpose of commemorating the presidency as an institution, is a proper use of a possessive and is the legal spelling in eight states.[13] But it is an error in punctuation if meant to refer to more than one president (see apostrophe).

In the following states and possessions, Washington's Birthday is an official state holiday and known as:[14]

Using "president"

  • Presidents' Day in Hawaii,[15] New Mexico, North Dakota,[16] Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, and Washington[17]
  • President's Day in Alaska, Idaho, Maryland, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming
  • Presidents Day in Nevada, New Jersey, and Oregon
  • Washington's Birthday/President's Day in Maine
  • Lincoln/Washington/Presidents' Day in Arizona

Washington alone

  • George Washington Day in Virginia
  • Washington's Birthday in Illinois, Iowa,[18], Massachusetts[19], Michigan,[20] Louisiana and New York[21]

Washington and Lincoln

  • Lincoln's and Washington's Birthday in Montana
  • Washington–Lincoln Day in Colorado,[22] Ohio[23]
  • Washington and Lincoln Day in Utah[24]
  • Washington's and Lincoln's Birthday in Minnesota[25]

Washington and another person

  • George Washington/Thomas Jefferson Birthday in Alabama[26]
  • George Washington's Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day in Arkansas

Unspecified

  • "The third Monday in February" in California; Lincoln's birthday is explicitly named as a separate holiday.[27][28]

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.[29] In California,[30] 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.[31] 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.)[32] 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.[33]

Observance and traditions

Los Angeles streetcar decorated for Washington's Birthday, c. 1892
File:Childe Hassam - Washington's Birthday—Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street - Google Art Project.jpg
Washington's Birthday—Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street, by Childe Hassam, 1916

A food traditionally associated with the holiday is cherry pie, based on the legendary chopping down of a cherry tree in Washington's youth.[34]

Until the late 1980s, corporate businesses generally closed on this day, similar to present corporate practices on Memorial Day or Christmas Day.[35] 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).[36] 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".[37]

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.[38]

Community celebrations often display a lengthy heritage. Washington's hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, hosts a month-long tribute, including what is claimed to be the nation's longest-running and largest George Washington Birthday parade,[39] while Eustis, Florida, continues its annual "GeorgeFest" celebration begun in 1902.[40] In Denver, Colorado, there is a society dedicated to observing the day.[41] At the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County, Virginia, visitors are treated to birthday celebrations on the holiday,[42] while at Mount Vernon, they last throughout the holiday weekend and through February 22.[43]

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.[44]


Notes

  1. ↑ OS February 11, 1731
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hertzberg, Hendrik, "Too Many Chiefs", The New Yorker, February 19, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Strauss, Valerie, "Why Presidents' Day Is slightly strange", February 16, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  4. ↑ Presidents' Day. HIP Pocket Change. United States Mint. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  5. ↑ Engber, Daniel (January 18, 2006). What's Benjamin Franklin's Birthday?. Slate.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Uniform Monday Holiday Act. National Archives and Records Administration (January 15, 1968). Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hannaford, Peter, "The Day That Isn't", The American Spectator, February 17, 2012. (written in en-US)
  9. ↑ Arbelbide, C.L. (Winter 2004). By George, It Is Washington's Birthday!. Prologue Magazine. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
  10. ↑ The George Washington Birthday Celebration {{#invoke:webarchive|webarchive}}
  11. ↑ Nelson, Pam, "Kids Day or Kids' Day", The News & Observer, March 23, 2006.
  12. ↑ "What’s in a Name: The Truth About Presidents Day" {{#invoke:webarchive|webarchive}}, Dialynn Dwyer, February 13, 2015, Boston.com
  13. ↑ The White House (February 19, 2007). President Bush Visits Mount Vernon, Honors President Washington's 275th Birthday on President's Day. Press release. Retrieved on January 21, 2014.
  14. ↑ See Public holidays in the United States for citations.
  15. ↑ Years 2016 and 2017 Holidays to be observed by the Hawaii State Government. Hawaii (August 11, 2015).
  16. ↑ Holidays. Office of Management and Budget. North Dakota. Archived from the original on February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  17. ↑ RCW 1.16.050. Revised Code of Washington. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015.
  18. ↑ Public Holidays and Recognition Days, §1C,2. Iowa Legislature (December 13, 2016). Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  19. ↑ Massachusetts Legal Holidays.
  20. ↑ Legal Holidays (Excerpt). Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  21. ↑ New York State Holidays (September 15, 2016).
  22. ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes Title 24. Government State § 24-11-101. Legal holidays—effect. FindLaw (February 16, 2017). Archived from the original on February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  23. ↑ 1.14 Excluding first and including last day – legal holidays. LAWriter Ohio Laws and Rules (April 10, 2001). Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  24. ↑ Washington and Lincoln Day in Utah, per state code (February 13, 2015). Archived from the original on December 20, 2016.
  25. ↑ 2016 Minnesota Statutes. Revisor of Statutes. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  26. ↑ 2017 Holiday Schedule. State of Alabama (February 2017). Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  27. ↑ Cal. Gov. Code §. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  28. ↑ California State Education Code – Washington Day. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  29. ↑ Section 15VV Presidents Day. The General Laws of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on January 24, 2012. (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.)
  30. ↑ Cal. Gov. Code § 6700(a)(4) {{#invoke:webarchive|webarchive}}
  31. ↑ Official State Holidays. New Mexico State Treasurer's Office. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  32. ↑ Observing State Holidays. Georgia (August 5, 2016). Archived from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  33. ↑ SPD: State Holidays. Indiana State Personnel Department. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  34. ↑ Mirabile Jr., Jasper J., "Celebrate George Washington's birthday with cherry pie", The Kansas City Star, February 16, 2014.
  35. ↑ Glass, Andrew, "Presidents Day is being observed today, Feb. 20, 2017", Politico, February 20, 2017.
  36. ↑ May, Ashley, "What is open and closed on Presidents Day?", USA Today, February 15, 2018. (written in en)
  37. ↑ 2017–2018 Holidays and Key Dates. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017.
  38. ↑ Miller, T. Christian, "A History of the Purple Heart", National Public Radio, September 8, 2010. (written in en)
  39. ↑ Parade (in en-US). Archived from the original on September 5, 2017.
  40. ↑ Celebrating 113 Years of GeorgeFest. Lake County News. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  41. ↑ The Charter. Presidents Day Society. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  42. ↑ George Washington Birthplace Birthday Celebration (in en). Archived from the original on February 18, 2018.
  43. ↑ Washington's Birthday Celebration (in en). Archived from the original on July 9, 2017.
  44. ↑ Washington's Farewell Address. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017.

References
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External links

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