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Fact check: Which US president first proclaimed Flag Day as a national holiday?

Checked on June 18, 2025

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, President Woodrow Wilson was indeed the first US president to proclaim Flag Day as a national holiday. The evidence is consistent across all sources:

  • Wilson issued Proclamation 1335—Flag Day on May 30, 1916, establishing the official recognition of Flag Day [1] [2]
  • The proclamation suggested that June 14 be observed as Flag Day with special patriotic exercises [2]
  • Wilson followed up with a Flag Day address in 1917, reinforcing his 1916 proclamation [3]

All three analyses confirm Wilson's role in establishing Flag Day, with two sources containing the actual text of the 1916 proclamation itself.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks important historical context that would provide a fuller understanding:

  • Flag Day existed before Wilson's proclamation - The analyses suggest that June 14 was already recognized as Flag Day in some capacity before 1916, but Wilson made it official at the federal level [3]
  • The timing context is missing - Wilson's 1916 proclamation occurred during World War I, when patriotic sentiment was particularly important for national unity
  • Implementation details are absent - While Wilson proclaimed Flag Day, the question doesn't address whether it became a federal holiday with time off work or remained a day of observance
  • State vs. federal recognition - The analyses don't clarify whether individual states had already recognized Flag Day before Wilson's federal proclamation

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains a subtle but significant inaccuracy in its terminology:

  • The question asks about Flag Day as a "national holiday," but the analyses indicate Wilson proclaimed it as a day of observance rather than a federal holiday with legal status [1] [2] [3]
  • This distinction matters because Flag Day is not a federal holiday in the traditional sense - government offices and most businesses remain open
  • The phrasing could mislead people into thinking Flag Day has the same legal status as holidays like Independence Day or Christmas

The question is otherwise factually sound in identifying Wilson as the president responsible for the first official federal recognition of Flag Day.

Want to dive deeper?
Which president first recognized Flag Day in 1916?
What is the history of Flag Day in the United States?
How did Flag Day become a national holiday?
What is the significance of June 14th for Flag Day?
Which states celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday?