A Random Thanksgiving Fact:
This year Thanksgiving Thursday falls on November 23, 2017, but did you know that Thanksgiving wasn’t always the fourth Thursday of November? Occasionally November has five Thursdays. This year is one such year.
Another November with five Thursdays happened in 1876. Wyoming was still a territory. Secretary of the Territory George W. French, who was serving as acting governor at the time, issued a proclamation in accordance with President Ulysses S. Grant to designate Thursday, the 30th day of November, 1876 as a day of Thanksgiving.
1876 proclamation issued by acting territorial governor, George W. French, declaring Thursday, November 30, 1876 Thanksgiving. From the AHC subject file: Proclamations.
In 1923 there were five Thursdays yet again and Thanksgiving fell on November 29th. President Calvin Coolidge issued a proclamation for the holiday.
Newspaper article reporting on President Coolidge’s 1923 Thanksgiving Proclamation that designated November 23, 1923 as Thanksgiving and outlined some of the reasons for the U.S. to be thankful that year. Clipping is from an unidentified newspaper; from the AHC subject file: Proclamations.
as did Wyoming’s governor William B. Ross.
Newspaper article that contains the text of Wyoming Governor William B. Ross’s 1923 Thanksgiving Proclamation. Ross affirmed that November 29, 1923 was declared to be Thanksgiving by President Coolidge and encouraged the people of Wyoming to take the day off to be thankful. From an unidentified newspaper; from the AHC subject file: Proclamations.
Which is it? The fourth Thursday or the last Thursday? It wasn’t until 1941 when Congress passed a law ensuring that all Americans would celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
-Meghan Monahan, Accountant
