George Washington's Birthday

Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday in the United States honoring the first president, George Washington. It has been generalized in many states as "Presidents' Day", honoring Washington along with all successive presidents.

The February 22 birthday of George Washington was declared as a holiday for federal employees in the District of Columbia in 1879, and to federal employees everywhere in 1885. That date remained official until the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 went into effect in 1970, adjusting the holiday to fall on the 3rd Monday of February, giving workers an annual 3-day weekend.

As states adopted their own holiday declarations, many combined honors for Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who was born on February 12, or generalized the holiday as Presidents' Day, honoring all U.S. presidents. Alabama, uniquely, chose instead to honor Washington with Thomas Jefferson, whose actual birthday is April 13, on the same date. Therefore the official Alabama state holiday, observed on the 3rd Monday of February, is properly called "George Washington's Birthday and Thomas Jefferson's Birthday".

References

• "Presidents' Day" (February 22, 2024) Wikipedia - accessed February 27, 2024
• Gore, Leada (February 19, 2024) "No, Presidents Day in Alabama does not honor George Washington and Abraham Lincoln." AL.com