Presidents’ Day: 4 facts about the federal holiday

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Monday, February 17, 2025

George Washington

The observance, now widely known as Presidents’ Day, traces its origins to the early 1800s when Americans began celebrating the birthday of the first president, George Washington.

Washington’s birthday was Feb. 22 and was unofficially celebrated throughout the 19th century. The celebration eventually became a federal holiday after the American Civil War.

“Senator Stephen Wallace Dorsey of Arkansas was the first to propose the measure, and in 1879 President Rutherford B. Hayes signed it into law,” according to History.com.

“The holiday initially only applied to the District of Columbia, but in 1885 it was expanded to the whole country. At the time, Washington’s Birthday joined four other nationally recognized federal bank holidays — Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving — and was the first to celebrate the life of an individual American.”