The U.S. House asked federal officials to wear a white carnation for Mother’s Day in 1913. The request came before Congress established the second Sunday in May as the national observance in 1914.
On May 10, 1913, the House of Representatives passed a resolution calling on federal government officials, including the president, to wear a white carnation the following day in observance of Mother’s Day. The resolution reflected the holiday’s early association with flowers and public ceremonial recognition.
Anna Jarvis had distributed carnations at the first official Mother’s Day service in 1908 because the white carnation was her mother’s favorite flower. The flower therefore became an early emblem of the new holiday, although later customs introduced distinctions between white and colored carnations.
The year is often confused with 1914, when Congress passed the law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. The 1913 House action was a symbolic request about official attire; the 1914 congressional action established the holiday’s recurring national date.