Which U.S. president issued the first Veterans Day proclamation after the holiday was renamed in 1954?

President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day proclamation after the holiday was renamed in 1954.

Congress changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day through legislation signed by Eisenhower on June 1, 1954. The change broadened the observance so it honored American veterans of all wars, rather than focusing primarily on World War I.

Eisenhower had commanded Allied forces in Europe during World War II before becoming president. His military background made him especially associated with the national recognition of veterans, although the holiday is intended to honor veterans collectively rather than one president or conflict.

The proclamation followed the law’s renaming of the holiday; it did not create November 11, whose observance dated back to the 1918 armistice and the original Armistice Day holiday.