Father’s Day 2025: Who Started Father’s Day? Know the Legacy of Sonora Smart Dodd

Father's Day is a day to acknowledge fathers and father figures on account of their sacrifices, love, and care. Father's Day in 2025 falls on June 15. However, do you know why this day began and who initiated it? The history of Father's Day revolves around an incredible woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, whose father's love brought about a tradition that will last forever.

Father's Day originated in the early 20th century in America. Most people believe that the first Father's Day was celebrated in 1908 in West Virginia, following a devastating explosion in a coal mine that took the lives of numerous fathers. A church organized a memorial service to remember them, but this was not a recurring celebration.

The honor of inventing Father's Day as it is today belongs to Sonora Smart Dodd, a Spokane woman. In 1909, after listening to a sermon about Mother's Day, Sonora believed fathers deserved to have their own day as well. She wished to dedicate it to her own father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran who cared for six children on his own after his wife passed away at childbirth.

Who Was Sonora Smart Dodd?

Sonora Louise Smart Dodd was born in 1882 in Arkansas. At the age of five, Sonora's family moved to Spokane, Washington. Her mother passed away when Sonora was 16, and her father alone raised all six children. Sonora loved her father so much because he was a tough, kind, and responsible father who held the family together under many trials.

She wed John Bruce Dodd in 1899 and had a son in 1909. Sonora was not only a good daughter and mother but also a community leader, poet, and artist. She struggled to make Father's Day a public holiday, feeling it was essential to express love and respect for the fathers.

The First Father's Day Celebration

Sonora suggested June 5, her birthday and her father's day, as Father's Day. The local ministers, however, required a little more time to prepare, and so the first official Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910, at the Spokane YMCA. The day consisted of sermons regarding the role of fatherhood, and folks came to acknowledge the emotional and moral role of fathers.

The rose was used as the symbol for Father's Day, with colored roses for living fathers and white ones for deceased fathers.

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How Father's Day Became a National Holiday?

Initially, Father's Day wasn't popular due to criticism and was believed by some to be a method for companies to market presents. Sonora ceased marketing the day for a time but reinitiated her efforts during the 1930s. Trade associations such as clothes and tobacco industries contributed to the publicity because it promoted gift-giving.

Due to ongoing promotion and increasing public support, Father's Day spread more generally throughout the United States and beyond. At last, in 1972, President Richard Nixon declared Father's Day an official national holiday.

Why Father's Day Matters Today

Father’s Day is more than just giving gifts. It is a day to appreciate the strength, love, and sacrifices of fathers and father figures. Sonora Smart Dodd’s legacy reminds us that fatherhood is about responsibility, care, and emotional support. In a busy world, Father’s Day is a chance to pause and honor those who have helped us grow and feel loved.

• Father's Day was conceived by Sonora Smart Dodd in Spokane, Washington, during 1909–1910.
• Sonora sought to recognize her father, a Civil War veteran who supported six children by himself.
• The first Father's Day was held on June 19, 1910.
• The holiday gained slowly and became official in 1972.
• Father's Day honors the significant role of fathers in society and families.

Sonora Smart Dodd's commitment made a lovely tradition that still reminds us of the very special relationship between children and fathers.

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