The first known Father’s Day service was held in Spokane, Washington, in 1910.
Sonora Smart Dodd organized the service at Spokane’s Central Methodist Episcopal Church on June 19, 1910. She wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran who had raised six children after becoming a widower.
Dodd’s idea was influenced partly by the growing recognition of Mother’s Day. She believed fathers deserved a comparable occasion, and Spokane became the early center of her campaign. The observance later spread through other American communities and gradually gained national support.
Spokane is often called the birthplace of the modern Father’s Day movement, but it is distinct from later federal recognition. The United States did not permanently establish the holiday nationwide until 1972.