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The American federal holiday, titled Washington's Birthday, was originally implemented
by the Congress of the United States of America in 1880 for government offices
in the District of Columbia (20 Stat. 277) and expanded in 1885 to include all
federal offices (23 Stat. 516). As the first federal holiday to honor an American
citizen, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February
22. On January 1, 1971 the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in
February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. A draft of the Uniform Holidays Bill
of 1968 would have renamed the holiday to Presidents' Day to honor both Washington
and Lincoln, but this proposal failed in committee and the bill as voted on and
signed into law on June 28, 1968 kept the name Washington's Birthday.
With a push from advertisers by the mid-1980s, the term "Presidents' Day"
began its public appearance. Although Lincoln's birthday, February 12, was never
a federal holiday, approximately a dozen state governments have officially renamed
their Washington's Birthday observances as "Presidents Day", "Washington
and Lincoln Day", or other such designations. However, "Presidents
Day" is not always an all-inclusive term. |
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* In Massachusetts, while the state officially celebrates "Washington's
Birthday," state law also prescribes that the governor issue an annual
Presidents Day proclamation honoring the presidents that have come from Massachusetts:
John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, and John F. Kennedy. (Coolidge,
the only one born outside of Massachusetts, spent his entire political career
before the vice presidency there. George H. W. Bush, on the other hand, was
born in Massachusetts, but has spent most of his life elsewhere.)
* Alabama uniquely observes the day as "Washington and Jefferson Day",
even though Jefferson's birthday was in April.
* In New Jersey, Connecticut 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 California, Lincoln's Birthday is also a legal state holiday, however,
observance is frequently moved to the Monday or Friday occurring closest to
February 12. When Lincoln's Birthday is observed on the Friday preceding Washington's
Birthday, the resultant four-day weekend is commonly called "Presidents'
Day Weekend", particularly by retailers in their sale advertisements.
* In Washington's home state of Virginia the holiday is legally known as "George
Washington Day". |
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