Which president approved a U.S. Mother's Day commemorative stamp in 1934?

President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved a U.S. Mother’s Day commemorative stamp in 1934.

The stamp was issued on May 2, 1934, as the three-cent “Mothers of America” issue. Its design was based on James McNeill Whistler’s painting commonly known as Whistler’s Mother. Roosevelt, an enthusiastic stamp collector, personally sketched an initial design after the proposal reached him.

The issue connected a modern national holiday with American art and postal culture. Roosevelt’s postmaster general, James A. Farley, helped oversee the stamp’s production, while carnations were added to the final design as a Mother’s Day symbol. The stamp is sometimes described simply as a Whistler commemorative, but it was issued specifically for Mother’s Day mail and honored mothers.

This was separate from the 1914 federal recognition of Mother’s Day: Roosevelt’s action commemorated the holiday through postage rather than establishing it.