Richard Nixon signed the law making Father's Day a permanent national holiday in 1972.
The signing took place on April 24, 1972. The law established the third Sunday in June as the annual date for Father's Day in the United States, transforming a long-standing observance into a permanent federal holiday.
Father's Day had already been celebrated for decades. Sonora Smart Dodd helped promote the idea in Spokane, Washington, in the early 20th century, and President Woodrow Wilson supported the concept during a 1916 visit. Congress, however, resisted national recognition for years. President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers in 1966, but that action did not make the observance permanent by statute.
A common mix-up is confusing Nixon's 1972 law with Johnson's 1966 proclamation. Johnson formally recognized the day through executive action; Nixon signed the legislation that gave it lasting legal status.