In many other states, Lincoln's birthday is not celebrated separately, as a stand-alone holiday. Instead, Lincoln's birthday is combined with a celebration of PresidentGeorge Washington's birthday (also in February) and celebrated either along with theFederal holiday ofWashington's Birthday or as Presidents' Day on the third Monday in February.
The February 12, 1909 edition of theGalveston Labor Journal, inGalveston, Texas, honors Lincoln. From the collections of theRosenberg Library.
The earliest known observance of Lincoln's birthday occurred inBuffalo, New York, in either 1873 or 1874. Julius Francis (d. 1881), a Buffalo druggist, made it his life's mission to honorthe slain president. He repeatedly petitionedCongress to establish Lincoln's birthday as alegal holiday.[10]
On February 12, 2009, the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial commemorated Lincoln's 200th birthday in grand fashion. An extended ceremony, organized by theAbraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) and with help from MOLLUS, featured musical performances from four-time Grammy-nominated singerMichael Feinstein and theU.S. Marine Corps Band. The morning celebration also featured remarks by Illinois Sen.Dick Durbin; Lincoln scholar and ALBC Co-chairHarold Holzer; recently retiredRhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice – and ALBC Commissioner –Frank J. Williams; and authorNikki Giovanni reciting her newest work, which was written especially for theBicentennial.
Menu from Lincoln's Birthday celebration held by the Republican Club of the City of New York in 1887. ManyRepublican Party organizations hold Lincoln's Birthday celebrations because Lincoln was the first Republican president.
As part of Lincoln's birthday bicentennial, the U.S. Mint released four newLincoln cents. Thecommemorative coins have new designs on thereverse showing stages of his life. The first went intocirculation on September 12, 2009. The standard portrait of Lincoln's head remains on the front. The new designs include alog cabin representing his birthplace, Lincoln as a young man reading while sitting on a log that he was taking a break from splitting, Lincoln as a state legislator in front of theIllinois Capitol, and thepartially built dome of theU.S. Capitol.[11]
New Jersey started observing the holiday on May 23, 2008, with the enactment of the Public Employee Pension and Benefits Reform Act of 2008.[12]
Black History Month has its origin in 19th-century celebrations of Lincoln's Birthday byAfrican-American communities in the United States.[13] By the early 20th century, black communities were annually celebrating Lincoln's birthday in conjunction with the birthday of former slave and abolitionistFrederick Douglass on February 14.[13] The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 when historianCarter G. Woodson and theAssociation for the Study of Negro Life and History announced that the second week of February would be "Negro History Week" to coincide with the traditional Black commemorations of both men's birthdays.[13] By the 1970s, "Negro History Week" had become "Black History Month".[13] Black History Month has expanded further toCanada, where it is also celebrated in February, and to theUnited Kingdom, which celebrates it in October.
Lincoln's Birthday was never aU.S. Federal Government holiday. The third Monday in February remains only "Washington's Birthday" in federal law.[14] However, many state governments have officially renamed their Washington's Birthday state holiday as "Presidents' Day", "Washington and Lincoln Day", or other such designations which explicitly or implicitly celebrate Lincoln's birthday. Regardless of the official name and purpose, celebrations and commemorations on or about the third Monday often include honoring Lincoln.
InConnecticut,Missouri andIllinois, while Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday, Lincoln's Birthday is still a state holiday, falling on February 12 regardless of the day of the week. California still lists Lincoln's Birthday as a holiday,[1] but as of 2009 no longer gives State employees a paid holiday on February 12.[15] However, it is considered a "Court holiday" and state courts are closed.[16]
In the following states, the third Monday in February is an official state holiday and known as:
Several states honor presidents with official state holidays that do not fall on the third Monday of February. InNew Mexico, Presidents' Day, at least as a state-government paid holiday, is observed on theFriday followingThanksgiving.[26] InGeorgia, Presidents' Day, at least as a state-government paid holiday, is observed onChristmas Eve. (Observed on the prior Thursday ifChristmas falls on Saturday; observed on the prior Friday ifChristmas falls on a Sunday. If December 24 is a Wednesday, then this holiday is observed on Friday December 26.)[27]
Photograph of ceremony at Lincoln Memorial attended by Vice President Truman, celebrating Lincoln's Birthday on February 12, 1945
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