Legend

Mother's Day came first, but Father's Day wasn't too far behind. It's amazing what people accomplish when they put their minds to good use and encourage others to join their cause. It just wouldn't be the same without many of our holidays and Father's Day is one of them.

Who came up with the idea of Father's Day?
Her name was Sonora Louise Smart Dodd and she lived in Spokane, Washington. Sonora was the oldest of six children raised by their father, William Jackson Smart, when their mother died during childbirth. Sonora honored and revered her father, and while listening to a Mother's Day sermon, in 1909, she determined there should also be a day to honor fathers.

Sonora gained local support and made her dream a reality, one year later, within her own city of Spokane, Washington. Sonora married John Bruce Dodd. She died March 22, 1978, several years after Father's Day became a permanent national observance.

Why June?
In 1910 Sonora chose June 19th, as the day to celebrate Father's Day because that was her father's birthday. With support from the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA, the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane on June 19, 1910.