Which U.S. president proclaimed the first Armistice Day for November 11, 1919?

Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first U.S. Armistice Day for November 11, 1919.

Wilson was president when World War I ended with the armistice of November 11, 1918. One year later, he issued a proclamation inviting Americans to observe the anniversary with gratitude and reflection. The proclamation helped establish the date as a national occasion before Congress made Armistice Day a legal holiday.

The 1919 observance was connected specifically to World War I and its ceasefire. Congress later passed legislation in 1938 making Armistice Day an official legal holiday. After the United States fought in World War II and Korea, the holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Wilson’s role is sometimes confused with that of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Wilson established the early presidential observance, while Eisenhower signed the later law broadening the holiday’s name. Both presidents therefore appear in the holiday’s history, but they were responsible for different milestones.