But the earliest known celebration of Father’s Day took place in Fairmont, West Virginia on July 5, 1908. The event was organized by Grace Golden Clayton, in the hope of honoring the life of the lost father. last month during the Monongah Mining Disaster in Monongah, West Virginia, on December 6, 1907. Perhaps Clayton was influenced by celebrating Mother’s Day for the first time that year, Clayton chose the closest Sunday to the birthday of her recently deceased father.
However, that event was overshadowed by other events in the city. The state of West Virginia did not officially recognize this holiday, and it was not celebrated again. All the credit for helping Father’s Day to be born later was credited to the Spokane Sonora Dodd, who celebrated Father’s Day independently two years later. Her events are also influenced by Mother’s Day.
On a day in 1909, while listening to a lecture on Mother’s Day, Sonora thought of a day to honor fathers. Sonora was the oldest of six sisters, her mother died at birth, so her father, William Jackson Smart, raised six older sisters on their own. Sonora loved and respected his father for understanding his hardships. The father in her eyes is a symbol of sacrifice, selflessness, tolerance. So she wanted a special day to honor her father. Sonora chose June 19 as “Father’s Day” because it was her father’s birthday.
