Sonora Louise Smart Dodd

Sonora Smart Dodd is best known as the founder of Father's Day, a celebration honoring fathers and fatherhood. Born in 1882 in Jenny Lind, Arkansas, she moved to Spokane, Washington, where she was inspired by her own father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran and single parent who raised six children. Her efforts to establish a day to honor fathers began in 1909, and the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane on June 19, 1910. Dodd's advocacy eventually led to the national recognition of Father's Day in the United States. She passed away in 1978, leaving behind a legacy of family values and recognition of paternal contributions.