Father's Day | a brief history

The inception of Father’s Day is most-often credited to Sonora Smart Dodd, who was raised by her father—American Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart—in Spokane, Washington, after her mother passed away. Legend has it that while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day in 1910, Dodd got to thinking about the wonderful job her father was doing with her and her siblings and decided fathers should have a day of honor, too. Her own father’s birthday was June 5th, and so she encouraged hers and other churches in the area to celebrate fathers that month. Thus, the first Father’s Day celebration was held on June 19, 1910, at the Spokane YMCA

Over the next few decades, popularity of Father’s Day spread, and eventually people started lobbying Congress to make the holiday official. Although many presidents including Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge publicly supported the event, it was Lyndon Johnson who, in 1966, declared that the third Sunday in June would officially be Father's Day going forth.

Through the years, many famous fathers and every-day heroes have been honored with the gift of a Chelsea and we're thrilled to be a part of the wonderful tradition of giving thanks.