President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November
to be Thanksgiving Day. The decree only technically affected the
District of Columbia and federal employees but governors throughout
the Union followed suit with similar state proclamations.
Lincoln issued a similar proclamation in 1864. With the exception
of Andrew Johnson designating the first Thursday in December as
Thanksgiving Day 1865 and Ulysses Grant choosing the third Thursday
for Thanksgiving Day 1869, U.S. presidents maintained the holiday
until Franklin Roosevelt broke with tradition in 1939.
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