It’s the 3rd Monday in February and depending on where you live you may or may not be celebrating a holiday today. While federal government offices close and the majority of state offices do so as well, many businesses make the most of the holiday by offering patriotic-themed sales. Officially, the United States federal government is celebrating Washington’s Birthday, not Presidents’ Day. Washington’s Birthday was originally celebrated on February 22nd, but in 1968 Congress moved the holiday to the 3rd Monday in February, and this created a lot of debate across our great land. There was a proposal at one time to change the observance from Washington’s Birthday to Presidents’ Day in order to celebrate President Lincoln as well; however this has never come to pass.
State governments set their own holidays, only some of which are the same as federal holidays. Since 1968, most states have opted to observe some form of presidential holiday on this 3rd Monday in February, but exactly what is celebrated varies from state to state. Some celebrate Washington’s Birthday, some celebrate both Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays, while the majority simply celebrate Presidents’ Day (though even the placement of the possessive apostrophe varies). Here’s how things stack up across the land*:
- States observing some form of Washington, Lincoln or Presidents’ Day = 41
- States observing a form of this holiday on the 3rd Monday of February = 38**
- States observing Washington’s Birthday only = 9
- States observing Presidents’ Day only = 24
- States not observing any form of this holiday at any time during the year = 9
State | Holiday* |
Alabama | George Washington/Thomas Jefferson Birthday |
Alaska | President’s Day |
Arizona | Lincoln/Washington/Presidents’ Day |
Arkansas | George Washington’s Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day |
California | President’s Day |
Colorado | Presidents’ Day |
Connecticut | Washington’s Birthday |
Delaware | No holiday observed |
Florida | No holiday observed |
Georgia | Washington’s Birthday *Observed on Dec. 24th |
Hawaii | Presidents’ Day |
Idaho | Presidents’ Day |
Illinois | Washington’s Birthday (President’s Day) |
Indiana | Washington’s Birthday *Observed on Dec. 24th |
Iowa | No holiday observed |
Kansas | No holiday observed |
Kentucky | No holiday observed |
Louisiana | No holiday observed |
Maine | Washington’s Birthday/President’s Day |
Maryland | Presidents’ Day |
Massachusetts | Washington’s Birthday |
Michigan | Presidents Day |
Minnesota | Presidents’ Day |
Mississippi | George Washington’s Birthday |
Missouri | Washington’s Birthday |
Montana | Lincoln’s and Washington’s Birthday |
Nebraska | President’s Day |
Nevada | Presidents’ Day |
New Hampshire | Washington’s Birthday |
New Jersey | Presidents Day |
New Mexico | Presidents’ Day *Observed day after Thanksgiving |
New York | Washington’s Birthday |
North Carolina | No holiday observed |
North Dakota | Presidents’ Day |
Ohio | President’s Day |
Oklahoma | Presidents’ Day |
Oregon | Presidents’ Day |
Pennsylvania | Presidents’ Day |
Rhode Island | No holiday observed |
South Carolina | George Washington’s Birthday / President’s Day |
South Dakota | Presidents’ Day |
Tennessee | Presidents’ Day |
Texas | Presidents’ Day |
Utah | Washington and Lincoln Day |
Vermont | Presidents’ Day |
Virginia | George Washington Day |
Washington | Presidents’ Day |
West Virginia | Presidents Day |
Wisconsin | No holiday observed |
Wyoming | President’s Day |
*based on 2012 State Holidays listings from individual state government websites
** Georgia and Indiana observe Washington’s Birthday on Dec. 24th; New Mexico observes Presidents’ Day on the Friday after Thanksgiving
One Comment
Illinois also celebrates Lincoln’s Birthday on February 12th as a state holiday.
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