Retailers helped dads get their dayThe idea for Father’s Day is almost as old as Mother’s
Day, but it took much longer to catch on. Sonora Dodd, of Washington,
first had the idea of a “father’s day” while listening
to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Sonora’s father, William Smart, was widowed when
his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Smart was left
to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself. Since Smart’s
birthday was in June, Sonora campaigned to have a special day in this
month set aside to honor fathers. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea
of a national Father’s Day, and a National Father’s Day Council
formed in 1931 to honor a “Father of the Year,” but most Americans
still did not observe the event. After all, what did men want with sentimental
things like flowers, gifts and greeting cards? Then the Associated Men’s Wear Retailers of New York
City took on the challenge of getting a Father’s Day in this country.
In 1938, they set up The National Council for the Promotion of Father’s
Day. The council worked with florists, tobacconists, stationers and men’s
clothiers across the United States to promote Father’s Day. Their
slogan? “Give Dad Something To Wear!” It wasn’t official, however, until 1966, when President
Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the third
Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Today, the Father’s Day Council estimates that this observance brings in approximately $1 billion a year in retail sales. |