President's Day - No School

What

President's Day - No School

When

2/19/2024

Why do we celebrate Presidents Day?

According to the National Archives, the country celebrated the founding father's birthday long before Congress declared it a federal holiday.

Around the centennial of Washington's birthday, Congress established a joint committee to oversee festivities to honor the former president nationally.

On Feb. 22, 1832, the committee recommended Congress adjourn out of respect for Washington's memory and in commemoration of his birth.

Prompted by a memorial from the mayor and other citizens of Philadelphia, the House and Senate commemorated the 130th anniversary of Washington's birth by reading his farewell address aloud, according to the National Archives. Eventually, this event became a tradition in the Senate that is still observed to this day.

Washington's Birthday did not become a legal holiday until Jan. 31, 1879, when Congress added Feb. 22 to the list of holidays to be observed by federal employees in the District of Columbia. This did not become a paid holiday for all federal employees until 1885.