This year, Presidents’ Day, a day set aside to recognize all those who served as President of the United States, is celebrated on February 21. Originally celebrated by various states on February 22 to commemorate George Washington’s birthday, it became a federal holiday in 1879. On January 1, 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act established the third Monday in February as the day that Washington’s Birthday would be commemorated. According to the law, however, the official name of the holiday remains Washington’s Birthday. While the name change has never been formally adopted by Congress, it is commonly known as President’s Day (GovInfo.gov).
Reese Library, celebrating its 60th anniversary as a Federal Depository Library, maintains Public Papers of the Presidents, a multi-volume series of the public papers and speeches that were released by the Office of the Press Secretary, beginning with the presidency of Herbert Hoover. Come see what other fascinating finds related to the Presidents that you can find in our Federal Depository, or ask our Depository staff, David Kearns (dkearns@augusta.edu) or Jarquaveon Ellison (Jael-lison@augusta.edu) for help.
