Thanksgiving has long been celebrated at the White House, but in addition to giving thanks, the presidency has a long history with the holiday.
Today we celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November, but prior to 1941, Thanksgiving was not a fixed date on the calendar but whenever the President proclaimed it to be. President George Washington was the first to issue a proclamation for the holiday in 1789, designating Thursday, November 26 “for the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving.” This marked the first national celebration of the holiday under the new Constitution.
