Memorial Day History: The First 101 years (1868 - 1968)
Jump to Major Parts in this Analysis:
Table of Presidential Activities on Memorial Day
Master Table of Memorial Day Observances
Underscoring Union Victory
Memorial Day began as a kind of exclamation point for the Northern victory over the rebellious South in the Civil War.
Often referred to as “Decoration Day,”[1] the first Federal Memorial Day, May 30, 1868, was designated as a time to “decorate the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” That is the language of “General Order Number 11” (May 5, 1868) issued by General John Logan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Logan also noted that "Their soldier lives were the reveille of freedom to a race in chains, and their deaths the tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms."
The GAR was a fraternal organization of Union veterans. Among other things, the GAR tried to provide support for soldier’s widows and children, and it lobbied the government on behalf of veterans and survivors. To again quote General Order 11,". . . let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan."
On May 26, 1868, President Andrew Johnson was narrowly acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial. On May 28, 1868, he issued the first Memorial Day Order (see the "Master Table" below for links to specific documents). Johnson’s "order" is basically a request to the Executive Departments that employees be allowed, if “consistent with law and the public interests” to participate in the ceremonies. Johnson did not refer to “decorating graves” or “the rebellion.” He did not declare a holiday or suggest that workers would be on paid leave. But his order did specify “paying a fitting tribute to the memory of the brave men whose remains repose in the national cemeteries.”
On Christmas Day 1868, President Johnson pardoned all Confederates of the charge of Treason. This pardon especially cleared top Southern leaders most of whom had sought refuge abroad. Johnson's action did not diminish the fervor for “Decoration Day.”
Subsequent presidential administrations from Grant in 1869 through Cleveland in 1895 (except for 1887 and 1892) issued nearly identical Memorial Day orders. They directed that the “several Departments” would be closed on May 30th to allow employees “to participate in the decoration of the graves of the soldiers who fell during the rebellion.”[2] That is, Presidents incorporated the language of Logan’s General Orders No. 11.
The first two Grant orders that survive[3] (1872, 1873) specify that employees may be allowed to participate in decorating graves “in connection with the Grand Army of the Republic.” This is a remarkably explicit alignment of official policy with the goals of a nominally private interest. Subsequent orders drop the reference to the GAR.
It became common to read the text of General Logan’s Orders at Memorial Day observances at least until 1949. So in principle, participants were reminded that the Federal holiday is rooted in the desire to recognize those who died defending the Union during “the rebellion.”
The explicit commitment to decorating the graves of Union troops, but not Confederates, drew complaints from the outset and reminders that the practice of decorating graves was already observed in the South.[4] These complaints became more pointed and numerous as the years passed.
Emphasizing Unity
Presidents played a key role in changing the focus of Memorial Day to be more inclusive toward the Confederate dead. This was consonant with the changing political context: the end of reconstruction; the emergence of legally sanctioned racial discrimination; the rise of a globally significant United States with an interest in projecting military force; and growing Republican party awareness of the need to win Southern electoral support.
As early as 1872, the Amnesty Act (17 Stat 142) had permitted most former Confederates to hold positions in the Federal government. As specified in the language of the Fourteenth Amendment, section 3, this action required a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress.
Cleveland (1885-89). Grover Cleveland was the first president to firmly push against the dominant conception of how to observe Memorial Day. Cleveland was the first post-Civil War president from the Democratic Party, the first not to have served in the Civil War, and the first to include former Confederates in his Cabinet. His election depended on support from the South.
As President, Cleveland brought two former Confederates and slave owners into his Cabinet: Lucius Q. C. Lamar of Mississippi (Secretary of the Interior) and Augustus Garland of Arkansas (Attorney General). In 1886, he diverted attention from Memorial Day by announcing on May 28 that there would be a White House wedding (his to Frances Folsom) five days later. On the third Memorial Day of his term, in 1887, Cleveland went fishing. Some years later, a newspaper report on Benjamin Harrison’s Memorial Day plans headlined, “Harrison Will Not Go Fishing May 30” (Arizona Republican, 5/27/1892).
In years prior to Cleveland’s fishing trip, every President on every Memorial Day had attended formal ceremonies at Arlington, Gettysburg, Philadelphia, or New York City.
Harrison (1889-93). Cleveland’s successor, Republican Benjamin Harrison (who won the electoral vote but lost the popular vote by wide margins in the South), did not go fishing. But he did make a major rhetorical gesture toward the former Confederates in his 1892 election-year speech in Rochester, NY.
We have found a plane of mutual respect, and I am glad of it, and not only this, but we have found a common country. . . . It gladdens my heart now to believe that the love of the old flag is so revived in these Southern hearts that they would vie with martial ardor to be in front of the charge if we should ever be called to meet a common enemy.
Harrison and subsequent Republican Presidents made a deliberate shift to emphasize national unity among—and partisan outreach to—the White majority in the South.
Cleveland ( 1893-97). In 1893, at the start of his second term, Cleveland again went fishing on Memorial Day. In 1895 he announced a plan to attend Memorial Day ceremonies at the Cemetery of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital where Confederate dead were buried together with Union dead. At that ceremony, there was to be a speech by Navy Secretary Hilary Herbert, a former Confederate officer. The announced theme of Herbert’s remarks was “Reunion of the Gray and Blue.”
This plan was displaced by the unexpected death of Secretary of State Walter Gresham who received a White House funeral on May 29. Immediately after the funeral, Cleveland escorted Gresham’s coffin to Chicago where, on Memorial Day, it was entombed at Oak Woods Cemetery. Ironically, on that same day, a Confederate Monument was dedicated at that cemetery. The local GAR posts had refused to participate in those ceremonies.
In 1896, Cleveland did not participate in Memorial Day ceremonies. I have (thus far) found no reports of his activities on the day. (The media focus was on his veto of the Rivers and Harbors Bill and the question of whether the veto would be overridden.) Cleveland followed a standard Presidential practice of sending memorial wreaths to different sites.
Just before Memorial Day 1896, the Supreme Court decided in Plessy v Ferguson that segregation by race in public facilities was Constitutional.
McKinley (1897-1901). President McKinley took further major steps in the Memorial Day “unity” project. His actions were connected to a variety of international tensions and US international aspirations. Memorial Day 1898 followed by less than six weeks the formal Declaration of War with Spain. In late May, McKinley issued a call for more volunteers for military service.
On Memorial Day 1898 itself, McKinley sent a letter of regret that he could not join the observances at the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA—the burial place of thousands of Confederates including Jefferson Davis, J. E. B. Stewart, and George E. Pickett. His Secretary of War had permitted US troops to participate in the Confederate Memorial Day procession in Richmond. After the main ceremonies at Arlington, which McKinley attended, Cleveland’s former Navy Secretary, the ex-Confederate Hilary Herbert, made remarks—a first for an Arlington Memorial Day that was noted by the Washington Post.
The war with Spain wrapped up swiftly—hostilities ended in mid-August 1898. The terms of a peace treaty were finalized on December 10. But before that date, in the midst of a “Peace Jubilee” tour of the South, McKinley made a widely noted address to the Georgia Legislature. In that speech, he spoke of national unity: “Sectional lines no longer mar the map of the United States.” And then, in words that drew prolonged cheers and seem to have been taken to be a Presidential order:
[W]hile, when those graves were made, we differed widely about the future of this government, those differences were long ago settled by the arbitrament of arms; and the time has now come, in the evolution of sentiment and feeling under the providence of God, when in the spirit of fraternity we should share with you in the care of the graves of the Confederate soldiers.
That is, henceforth the Federal Memorial Day holiday would no longer be about decorating the graves of Union soldiers. It would be reconceived to be about honoring American military courage and valor, no matter what the cause—even if the cause had been a rebellion in defense of slavery.
On Memorial Day 1899, the Washington Post reported, consistent with McKinley’s Atlanta pledge, the graves of Confederate soldiers at Arlington “were decorated with unsparing hand.”
In 1900, in an address at Antietam Battlefield, McKinley continued to stress the rhetoric of unity. In the Civil War, “American soldiers never surrendered but to Americans!” And in the war with Spain,
The followers of the Confederate generals with the followers of the Federal generals fought side by side in Cuba, in Porto [sic] Rico, and in the Philippines, and together in those far-off islands are standing to-day fighting and dying for the flag they love, the flag that represents more than any other banner in the world the best hopes and aspirations of mankind.
A few days later, on June 6, 1900, McKinley signed an Appropriations Bill providing funds to move the bodies of Confederate soldiers buried in the Washington D.C. region to “some suitable spot” in Arlington Cemetery.
Roosevelt (1901-1909). Theodore Roosevelt sounded the unity theme with great consistency. At Gettysburg on Memorial Day 1904, he proclaimed: “All are at one now, the sons of those who wore the blue and the sons of those who wore the gray, and all can unite in paying respect to the memory of those who fell, each of them giving his life for his duty as he saw it . . ."
On Memorial Day 1906, at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Roosevelt suggested that “we could not honor too highly the memory of Grant and Lee, of Sherman and Johnston, of Stonewall Jackson and Sheridan. . . .” Earlier that Spring, Roosevelt’s Secretary of War, William Howard Taft had formally approved the general location for a Confederate monument in Arlington Cemetery.
Taft (1909-1913). By the time of the Taft Administration, the “unity” aspect of Memorial Day was well-established. The observances no longer emphasized Union bravery and brilliant generals. The last corps commanders from the Civil War were dead. In 1909 Taft participated in dedicating a monument not to any great general, but to regular soldiers. In 1911 and 1912, Taft’s Memorial Day speeches had little to do with the Civil War but with advocacy of international arbitration to resolve disputes (1911), and the importance of Constitutional limits (1912).
The Confederate Monument was set for construction in 1912, and Taft spoke about that fact at a November 1912 Convention of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The occasion was the day of the laying of the cornerstone for the Confederate Monument. Taft did not attend the cornerstone ceremony. That ceremony was led by Cleveland’s former Navy Secretary Hilary Herbert. However, that evening Taft again sounded his theme of unity in his speech to the UDC Convention.
Wilson (1913-1921). Wilson, the first Democrat elected since Grover Cleveland, celebrated Memorial Day 1913 by going for an 8-hour automobile tour of Maryland backroads. The New York Times pointed out that he had heeded the objections of veterans’ groups to the scheduling of sporting events on Memorial Day.
In 1914, after first announcing that he would not speak, Wilson spoke at Arlington and began by saying that he did not have “a prepared address.” He observed that the Union soldiers “not only reunited States, they reunited the spirits of men. [T]he very men whom they overcame in battle join in praise and gratitude that the Union was saved.”
Five days later, President Wilson oversaw the formal unveiling of the Arlington Confederate Monument. His task, he said, was this: “To declare this chapter in the history of the United States closed and ended. . . [A]s we have shed our blood upon opposite sides, we now face and admire one another.”
Just Another Holiday
By the time the Confederate Monument was dedicated in 1914, it had long been clear that for many Americans, Memorial Day was just a welcome holiday—especially so when it fell on a Friday or a Monday. In 1875, less than a decade after the first 1868 observance, the Baltimore Sun noted that these events “have now grown to be days for secular enjoyment. . . . [Many people have ] picnics and excursions totally unconnected with the purpose of the day.”
In 1877, the Chicago Daily Tribune prominently reported the outcome of a professional baseball game: “Chicago’s Defeated at Cincinnati.” As the day became more broadly and firmly established as a legal holiday, so did secular events.
By 1890, next to a New York Times article previewing Memorial Day events, was an overview of upcoming events in “The Athletic World.” These featured yachting, rowing, horse racing, and baseball. In 1891 The Arizona Republican sounded a plaintive reminder that “Memorial Day . . . should not be a holiday of festivities, but one of solemn remembrances.” In 1892 the New York Times editorialized that “Memorial Day is a permanent holiday. . . honoring the dead, outdoor pastimes. . . “
This holiday trend continued and consolidated. In 1909, President Taft, who was known as a baseball fan, preceded Memorial Day ceremonies at Gettysburg with a stop in Pittsburgh to attend a baseball game. (Taft’s brother was one of the owners of the Chicago National League Team.). The year 1911 marked the initiation of an annual automobile race at Indianapolis—always on Memorial Day. In 1913, the New York Times had no front-page article about Memorial Day, but there was one about the resumption of horse racing at Belmont Park.
So, eventually, it would not be surprising or disturbing if the President did not attend a formal Memorial Day observance and instead took a short vacation from the job.
By the late 1930s, a feature of newspaper reports on Memorial Day include reports of heavy holiday traffic, accidents, and fatalities.
The table immediately below shows whether presidents personally attended Memorial Day Ceremonies and whether they spoke.
From Grant through McKinley, (8 presidents, 33 years) presidents attended ceremonies 88 percent of the time (that is, all except Cleveland), but only spoke 21 percent of the time. For the period from Theodore Roosevelt through Hoover, (5 presidents, 33 years) presidents attended Memorial Day ceremonies 90 percent of the time, and they spoke at 90 percent of the ceremonies they attended. From FDR through LBJ, (5 presidents 35 years) presidents attended ceremonies only 36 percent of the time, and when attending, made a speech or remarks only about 40 percent of the time. In that last period, none of the extensive speeches were “traditional” Memorial Day speeches focusing primarily on the meaning of, and our gratitude for, past sacrifices.
Presidential Activities on Memorial Day, Ulysses Grant – Lyndon B. Johnson
President |
Attended Public Observances+ |
Spoke at Public Observance |
Alternate activities |
|
A. Johnson |
Not reported |
||
|
Grant |
8/8 |
0 |
|
|
Hayes |
4/4 |
2 |
|
|
Garfield |
1/1 |
0 |
|
|
Arthur |
3/3 |
0 |
|
|
Cleveland-First |
3/4 |
0 |
Fishing, |
|
Harrison |
4/4 |
3 |
|
|
Cleveland-Second |
1/4 |
0 |
Fishing, not specified |
|
McKinley |
5/5 |
1 |
|
|
T Roosevelt |
7/7 |
6 |
|
|
Taft |
4/4 |
3 |
|
|
Wilson |
6/8 |
5 |
Driving; disability |
|
Harding |
3/3 |
3 |
|
|
Coolidge |
5/5 |
5 |
|
|
Hoover |
3/4 |
3 |
"work as usual" |
|
FDR |
4/12 |
1 |
At Hyde Park; |
|
Truman |
3/8 |
1 |
"work as usual;” cruising on the Potomac |
|
Eisenhower |
4/8 |
2 |
At the White House, |
|
Kennedy |
1/3 |
0 |
Hyannis Port, |
|
LBJ |
1/5 |
1 |
LBJ Ranch |
+(The number of ceremonies personally attended)/(the number of ceremonial days that occurred during the President’s service).
Presidential Authority
In 1868, at the time of the first Memorial Day observance, it was not entirely clear that the President had the authority to exempt workers from work on special occasions. Prior presidents had closed the Executive Departments during periods of mourning following the death of presidents. But in 1868 there were no legally defined Federal holidays. Arguably, there was no explicit authority to simply shut down some or parts of the government. This changed dramatically in a matter of years when holidays were authorized.
Legislation signed June 28, 1870, designated a group of named holidays (New Year’s, July 4, Christmas) as “holidays” but only within the District of Columbia (16 Stat. 168). The law also included among such holidays ”any day appointed . . . by the President. . . as a day of public fast or thanksgiving.” The law did not address whether or not government employees would be paid, or the instance of Memorial Day. It primarily addressed commercial transactions that had maturity or payment dates that might be affected by the holiday.
But in short order, that changed (citations to these laws are given in the table) :
- A law of 1/31/1879 added Washington’s Birthday to the official DC holiday list.
- A law of 4/16/1880 provided that wages would be paid on legal holidays for employees of the Government Printing Office if other government employees were paid.
- A law of 4/3/1881 called for paying DC government employees in 1881 for Inauguration Day and Memorial Day.
- A law of 3/3/1883 required seven hours of work from government employees except on Sundays or days “declared public holidays by law, or executive order.” This explicitly empowered presidents to declare holidays on their own authority, and this section was cited in the next six Memorial Day orders.
- A law of 1/6/1885 specifies a number of paid holidays, including Memorial Day, for employees in Washington DC.
- A law of 2/23/1887 specifies that both Memorial Day and July 4 are to be paid holidays for all Federal employees, not just those in Washington DC.
- A law of 8/1/1888 makes Memorial Day a holiday for all in Washington DC, not just Federal employees. At this point, if not already in 1887, any presidential Executive Order authorizing Memorial Day became superfluous, but it was issued at least another seven times!
- A law of 3/3/1893 (27 Stat 715) prohibited the closing of the Executive departments "as a mark to the memory of any deceased ex-official of the United States."
- A law of 6/28/1894 adds Labor Day to the Federal holiday lineup.
None of these acts authorized a President to change the observance of a holiday to a different day if it fell on a Sunday. Nonetheless, presidents repeatedly ordered the observance of Federal Memorial Day to a day other than Sunday. In 1875 (to Saturday); 1880 (to Saturday); 1886 (to Monday). On later occasions when there was no published order, the observance was also moved: 1909 (to Monday); 1915 (to Monday); 1926 (to Monday); 1937 (to Monday).
The Sunday 5/30 date was observed by (and proclaimed by) the President in 1948, 1954, and 1965. But in 1965, the Washington Post reported that “Monday [5/31] has been declared an official holiday. Both Federal and District Government offices will be closed.” It is not clear where this declaration was published or by whom. (I would be delighted to be informed about this point.)
This practice was made irrelevant by the 1968 Uniform Monday Holiday Act (82 Stat 250) specifying that Memorial Day would be on the “last Monday in May.”
Concluding Thoughts
Scholars have not found much of interest in “ceremonial” Presidential orders or in the substance of their remarks on ceremonial occasions. But this is a mistake, at least with respect to Memorial Day.
The presidential “unity project” of the late 19th century was bipartisan. It was Cleveland’s clear goal, but emerged as bipartisan during the term of Benjamin Harrison. In the search for unity, Presidents contributed their authority and voice to defining a moral equivalence between the leaders and soldiers of the Confederacy and of the Union. This was explicit in their language.
This equivalence supported an emerging system of racial discrimination and segregation sustained in law and regulations. That system shaped American life for generations, and as of 2024 is by no means in the past.
One visible indicator of this system—and the unity project--was the spread of monuments and other symbols (such as named buildings and places) honoring Confederates and their leaders.
The extent of these public “symbols of the Confederacy” has been documented in a 2019 study published by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC study identifies 1270 instances of the dedication of sites recognizing the Confederacy between 1866 and 2017. (The SPLC study seems, oddly, not to include the Confederate Monuments at Arlington Cemetery and at Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago—so it’s not complete.)
In the 26 years from 1866 through 1891--the year before Benjamin Harrison’s Memorial Day speech rhetorically embracing the “unity project”—SPLC data show 117 Confederate symbols were dedicated.
In the 21 years from 1892 through 1912 (the year the cornerstone for the Confederate Monument was laid at Arlington Cemetery), the SPLC counts 424 additional dedications. The peak year for new dedications in the entire dataset was 1911 (under President Taft).
The “unity project” was a remarkable success.
From 1913-1933, the next 21-year period, an additional three hundred commemorations were dedicated. Of these, 129 were during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson.
In 2017, violent demonstrations in Charlottesville, VA were linked to a plan to remove a monument to Robert E. Lee. The 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers helped advance over 180 additional decisions—often with controversy--to remove public monuments and named facilities honoring Confederates.
This all reminds us that consistent Presidential rhetoric—and policy action--devoted toward a specific theme, can be consequential. This has been particularly true for Memorial Day, which, after all, did not begin as a day of unity.
[1] A search with Google N-gram viewer shows that “Decoration Day” was a more common usage until about 1880 when “Memorial Day” gained a general equivalence. Since around 1894, both usages gradually declined and more or less stabilized around 1960.
[2] Hayes's order in 1878 is notable for referring not to “soldiers who fell during the rebellion,” but to “those who fell in defense of the Union.”
[3] Newspaper accounts from 1869 reported that Grant “has ordered the Departments and all Government shops to be closed . . . as a mark of respect.” (Pittsburgh Gazette, 5/26/1869; also Louisville Courier-Journal 5/29/1869, p. 1). That was certainly issued in writing, but the text of the order seems to have been lost.
[4] On the first point, see for example the editorial of the New York Times June 3, 1869 p.4 noting that Decoration Day “is a method of reminding the North that it is a conqueror, and the South that it is conquered.” But it also notes that the Southern observances carefully overlook the graves of Union dead. On the latter point, see the Louisville Daily Courier of May 27, 1868 describing observances at Lexington KY cemetery and quoting at length from orators and poetry of the day.
Master Table of Memorial Day Observances
|
Year |
President |
Date of |
President’s Activities |
Related Events |
|
1868 |
A Johnson |
Not reported. |
Impeachment acquittal on May 26, 1868.; May 5 1868 Logan’s “General Order No. 11” 12/25/1868: Presidential Pardon and Amnesty for the Offense of Treason. |
|
|
1869 |
Grant |
5/25/1869 |
At Arlington; no speech. |
Newspapers: “has ordered the Departments and all Government shops to be closed” (Pittsburgh Gazette, 5/26/1869, also Louisville Courier 5/29/1869 p 1.) |
|
1870 |
Grant |
None published |
At Arlington; wrote letters (not preserved) to observances in RI and NY. |
6/28/1870: January 1, July 4, and December 25 (plus days of Thanksgiving) are legal holidays in DC. This is the first Federal holiday law (16 Stat. 168) |
|
1871 |
Grant |
None published |
At Arlington |
|
|
1872 |
Grant |
At Arlington. Oration by Gen. N. P. Banks. |
Amnesty Act 05/22/1872 (17 Stat 142), removed the 14th Amendment, section 3 “disability” against office-holding by participants in insurrection or rebellion except for members of Congress and holders of high office serving 1861-1865. |
|
|
1873 |
Grant |
At Arlington. Took basket of choicest WH flowers to Arlington |
5/21: had threatened use of force in Louisiana 5/26-29 Grant and Babcock visit Harrisburg, PA; reported to be handing out diplomas on 5/28 at National University; Balt Sun on 5/27, p1: Grant and Babcock visiting personal friends, and trout fishing in Elk county PA. Will return to DC Wed evening (5/28) or TH morning. Chi Daily Trib 5/30 p. 8 reports USG back in DC on 5/29. |
|
|
1874 |
Grant |
At Arlington. General Hawley delivered Oration |
Prior week: his daughter married; fighting with Senate over appointee to be Colorado territorial governor; reports of people decorating graves of Confederates too |
|
|
1875 |
Grant |
5/20/1875; closed on Saturday 5/29 |
At Arlington. Rev. J.E. Newman delivered oration. Balt Sun, 5/31/1875, p 4: decoration day observances "have now grown to be days of secular enjoyment. . . Picnics and excursions totally unconnected with the purpose of the day." |
5/26: had spoken to delegation of Sioux Indians.; articles reporting USG refusing 3rd term. Whiskey ring issue live; NYC Decoration Day celebrated on Monday 5/31 identified in NYT as "a legal holiday." |
|
1876 |
Grant |
At Arlington: President, Cabinet, and many others. Hon Stewart L. Woodford oration. Baltimore Sun 5/31/86, p 4: |
5/27: Spent day in Baltimore to visit Collector of Revenue who was sick; 4th of July was centennial observance; Chinese immigration being discussed in congress; Blaine scandal charges; Belknap impeachment trial |
|
|
1877 |
Hayes |
At Arlington: President and Cabinet, President and Mrs. Hayes "with flowers brought themselves, strewed the graves of the dead soldiers. . . " |
reports of customs house inquiries; Nashville papers refer to "Federal Decoration Day"; 5/31/1877 Chi Daily Trib baseball news:"Chicago's Defeated at Cincinnati" |
|
|
1878 |
Hayes |
At Gettysburg and made Remarks. “Not since Lincoln has the cemetery been graced by so many distinguished citizens.” Louisville Courier Journal 5/31/78, p 1. |
||
|
1879 |
Hayes |
At Arlington, Rep J. W. Keifer of Ohio made the Address |
1/31/1879: (20 Stat 277) Washington's birthday added to official DC holiday list; Republican politics very hot in Ohio; President Hayes about to veto legislative appropriation bill. |
|
|
1880 |
Hayes |
5/27/1880; closed on Saturday 5/29. |
At Philadelphia. Ceremonies at Academy of Music and Grave of General Meade with Secretary of War Ramsey and others; Hayes “made a short Address in response to loud calls. . . Later had brief reception at the Union League.” (Baltimore Sun, 5/31/1880, p. 5). There is no text of his remarks. |
4/16/1880 (21 Stat 304) provided that wages would be paid on legal holidays for GPO employees if other government employees are paid. 5/31/1880 Paying GPO employees for the 1880 holiday. (21 Stat 307) |
|
1881 |
Garfield |
At Soldiers' Home Cemetery and Arlington. Accompanied by Cabinet. Arlington oration by Hon. Mark H. Dunnell (Rep. of Minnesota); Soldier's Home oration by Col. George B. Corkhill. |
4/3/1881: (21 Stat 522) Paying DC government employees for March 4th (Inauguration Day) and May 30th (Decoration Day) in 1881 [only]. 7/2/1881: Garfield shot; dies on 9/19] |
|
|
1882 |
Arthur |
In NYC: participated in the decoration of Lincoln Monument in Union Square, together with other notables including Gen. Grant. Reviewed procession together with Cabinet officers; Returned to Fifth Avenue Hotel. |
||
|
1883 |
Arthur |
In NYC: Observed parade from a reviewing stand and afterwards returned to Fifth Avenue Hotel; had a reception. In the evening attending events at the Academy of Music. [A. of M. was Opera House at E 14th and Irving Place opened in 1854, supplanted in 1883 by Metropolitan Opera House.] |
3/3/1883 Appropriations bill (Section 4 of 22 Stat 531 at 22 Stat 563) requires that government employees be required to provide seven hours labor except on Sunday or "declared public holidays by law, or executive order." (This act is cited in orders until 1888.) |
|
|
1884 |
Arthur |
In NYC: watches procession from the "grand stand." Parade lasted 2 hours. Then in the evening 2 hours at the Academy of Music. Address given by Gen. B. F. Butler. |
||
|
1885 |
Cleveland |
In NYC, watches procession from Madison Square, arrived 25 minutes late. Later, the President and Secretaries Whitney and Endicott "took a sail up the river in the steam yacht Orienta" and went to Governor's Island and paid a visit to Gen. Hancock. In the evening dined at Mr. Whitney's house before going to the Academy of Music. (NYT, 5/31/1885, p 8) |
1/6/1885: Holiday Statute of 1885 (23 Stat 516) specifies paid holidays for Federal employees in Washington on “1st day of January, the 22d day of February, the day of each year which is celebrated as “Memorial” or “Decoration Day, “ the 4th day of July, the 25th day of December, and such days as may be designated by the President as days for national thanksgiving . . . “ 11/25/1885, Vice-President Hendricks died, potential succession issues. Law at the time put next in line the Senate Pro Tem and then the House Speaker. |
|
|
1886 |
Cleveland |
5/20/1886; observed on Monday 5/31. |
In NYC, reviews NY parade; in the evening attends observances at the Academy of Music. |
White House Wedding on Wednesday, June 2. 7:00 p in the Blue Room. Cleveland was in NYC as of 5/30. He's marrying Francis Folsom and visits her family on this pre-wedding trip. President's engagement was made public only on 5/28/1886. |
|
1887 |
Cleveland |
none |
Went Fishing. "President passed through Saranac Lake Village to-day just in time to see the last of the Decoration Day celebration." (NYT 5/31/87, p 1) Left DC with Mrs. Cleveland on Thursday the 26th at 4:00 pm, traveled to Troy NY; then special train to Vermont to "Paul Smith's." [A hamlet in the town of Brighton in Frankly County NY] On 5/29 he was fishing at Saranac Inn at Saranac Lake NY--directly west of Burlington VT. |
2/23/1887: S Res 40 (Joint Res 6); (24 Stat 644) specifies that both Decoration day/Memorial Day and July 4 are to be paid holidays for all Federal employees—not just those in DC. House debate makes clear that it is in order to avoid forcing GAR members to be unpaid for their observance. In December, nominates ex-Confederate Lucius Lamar to the Supreme Court. |
|
1888 |
Cleveland |
In NYC, reviews procession from the Worth Monument [i.e., Madison Square Garden], then goes to Brooklyn to review procession there, leaving before it was over for a light lunch and reception at a private home. Return to Washington from Jersey City at 3:40 pm. by train. (NYT 5/30/1888, p.4) |
To much surprise, James Blaine firmly withdraws as a candidate for GOP nomination. Prohibition Party convention begins in Indianapolis on Memorial Day. 8/1/1888 Act (25 Stat 353) makes the 30th of May “usually called ‘Decoration Day’” a holiday for all in the District of Columbia. |
|
|
1889 |
Harrison |
In NYC, arriving 5/29. Had breakfast, held a long reception, reviewed parade in Brooklyn, took luncheon at the Brooklyn Club, got afternoon express train back to Washington. (NY Tribune 5/31/1889, p 2.) |
5/30: Two baseball games played yesterday in NYC, 30,000 spectators [Memorial Day events were not reported on front page of NYT, but Yacht race results were.] On prior day some alarm about the near-designation of someone involved in Lincoln’s Assassination to be member of a Commission to Hayti [sic]. |
|
|
1890 |
Harrison |
In Cleveland for the dedication of a Garfield Memorial; made brief remarks. accompanied by Vice-President and Cabinet, ex-Pres. Hayes, Wm. McKinley and many others. |
NYT 5/30 article previewing GAR events for Memorial Day also has an adjoining article: "in the Athletic World" yachting, rowing, horse-racing, baseball In November, GOP loss of House seats in midterm elections was one of the largest seat swings ever. |
|
|
1891 |
Harrison |
In Philadelphia to decorate the grave of General Meade [the hero of Gettysburg]; accompanied by Cabinet. Went to Independence Hall, made remarks there and at also remarks at Laurel Hill Cemetery. Had lunch at Union League Club; then a reception; then returned to DC. |
A newspaper article points out that the day is a legal holiday in Pennsylvania. The Arizona Republican reminds readers that “Memorial Day . . . should not be a holiday of festivities, but one of solemn remembrances.” |
|
|
1892 |
Harrison |
na |
In Rochester, NY. On Sunday, 5/29, Harrison attended church. On Memorial Day "everybody took a holiday" in Rochester, and Harrison attended the dedication of "handsome monument in Washington Square in honor of the soldiers and sailors of Monroe County who died in defense of the Union" Harrison spoke. (Headline in Arizona Republican on 27 May 1892, “Harrison Will Not Go Fishing May 30) |
In New York, the Grant Post of the GAR invited the Confederate Veteran Camp to participate in ceremonies at Grant’s Tomb. GOP loss of control of House in 1892 midterm elections one of the largest seat swings ever. |
|
1893 |
Cleveland |
Went fishing. Chicago Tribune 5/31/1893 [and also NYT]: "Grover Cleveland did not attend the ceremonies at any of these cemeteries. He packed up his grip and fishing tackle this afternoon and went to Hog Island [ Va] in quest of Fish. He passed the early part of the day quietly at the White House and only admitted Secretary Lamont." NYT:: "a beautiful wreath" was sent by Cleveland to Grant's Tomb in NYC. |
Washington Post 5/28/1893 Opinion Essay: “Union of Blue and Gray.” “I like our Southern idea of putting the flowers on every grave. . . Decoration Day must essentially be one entirely free from any feeling but that of generosity and loving kindness. July 1, 1993: Cleveland secret operation aboard a yacht to remove tumor from his jaw. |
|
|
1894 |
Cleveland |
At Arlington. Rep. Bryan of Nebraska “aroused great enthusiasm by his speech.” NY Tribune 5/31, p 10: "Cleveland surprised all Washington today by appearing in person, attended by four members of his Cabinet. . . at the Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington." |
Coxey’s Army in Washington in May 1894. June 28, 1894 Labor Day Holiday is created (28 Stat 96), “in the same manner as Christmas, the first day of January, the twenty-second day of February, the thirtieth day of May, and the fourth day of July. . . “ |
|
|
1895 |
Cleveland |
Cleveland’s plan to attend Memorial Day ceremonies at St. Elizabeth’s Cemetery canceled due to the death of Secretary of State Walter Gresham. |
5/29 death of cabinet member Secretary of State Walter Gresham; Gresham’s funeral was at WH on 5/29. Cleveland escorted Gresham’s coffin to Chicago, where it was entombed at a cemetery where dedication of a Confederate monument was being boycotted by GAR. Navy Secretary Herbert had been scheduled to make remarks at St. Elizabeth's cemetery on the Reunion of the Gray and Blue. Herbert had served in the Confederate (Alabama) Infantry. Had played a role in strengthening the Navy. |
|
|
1896 |
Cleveland |
none found |
No activities. Flowers sent from WH to decorate Tomb of the Unknowns and Grant's Tomb. |
5/18/1896: Court decides Plessy v. Ferguson (racial separation is Constitutional). Ongoing fight about the veto of Rivers and Harbors bill; Question of recognizing Cuba. |
|
1897 |
McKinley |
Observed on Monday [no published order] |
At Arlington on Monday 5/31. Viewed a procession. Oration by Rep. Dolliver of Iowa. White House closed on 5/31. |
NYT 6/1/1897 p 12. rather small article. On 5/31, Senate adjourned, House met briefly. Many newspaper articles about sporting competitions on Memorial Day (horse racing human racing bike racing boat racing). Washington Post, May 29, 1897, “The President has ordered that the various executive departments and the Government Printing Office be closed next Monday" [May 31; but no published order found].” |
|
1898 |
McKinley |
none |
At Arlington 5/30/1898 (NYT, 5/31/1898, p 5); US troops participate in Confederate Memorial Day in Richmond. President sends letter to ceremonies at Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA, a Confederate Cemetery with remains of Jefferson Davis, J.E.B. Stewart, George E. Pickett. Washington Post 5/31/1898, “The presence of a former Confederate officer as an orator at a Memorial Day service was unusual at Arlington. . . “ [Reference is to former Confederate officer and Cleveland Secretary of the Navy Hilary A. Herbert.]. Active fighting this day in Cuba. |
Declaration of War with Spain on 4/25/1898. On 5/25/1898 asks for more war volunteers. 12/10/1898: Peace Treaty (“Treaty of Paris”) signed; ratified (narrowly) 2/6/1899; proclaimed 4/11/1899. December 4, 1898 visited Atlanta as part of his Southern Tour. Praised national unity, and announced that “in the spirit of fraternity we should share with you in the care of the graves of the Confederate soldiers.” |
|
1899 |
McKinley |
none |
At Arlington; "Following suggestion made by President McKinley in his speech delivered at Atlanta last fall, the graves of the 130 Confederate soldiers interred in the National Cemetery were decorated with unsparing hand, like those of their former foes, the Union dead." (Washington Post, 5/31/1899, p 3) |
On 5/23/1899 By EO, government employees excused from duty to participate in the “Peace Jubilee” exercises of 5/24/1899. |
|
1900 |
McKinley |
none |
At Antietam Battlefield: Dedicates monument, delivers Address, together with Cabinet and many members of Congress, veterans of Union and Confederacy. "American soldiers never surrendered but to Americans!" |
5/27/1900: In GAR encampment it is reported McKinley may return to southern states Confederate Battle Flags if authorized by Congress (this later happens under T. Roosevelt in 1905); 6/6/1900: $2500 is appropriated to move the bodies of Confederate soldiers to “some suitable spot” in Arlington cemetery (31 Stat 630). |
|
1901 |
McKinley |
none |
Expected to visit Arlington but delayed, perhaps completely diverted by Mrs. McKinley's serious illness. |
Supreme Court rejected Puerto Rico's hope for free trade with the US. |
|
1902 |
Roosevelt |
none |
Speech at Arlington (Friday). “You left us a reunited country.” Discusses the ongoing war in the Philippines; decries lynching. |
|
|
1903 |
Roosevelt |
none |
On a VERY extended trip to the West, on 5/30 made remarks both in Laramie and Cheyenne, WY. |
“One of the things that has always made me feel proudest, proudest of my countrymen, proudest of you, the men of the great war, is the fact that in a reunion of the Veterans of the Grand Army, there is when I pay a tribute to the valor of the men who wore the gray.” 6/7/1903: Wreath sent to Confederate Section in Arlington. |
|
1904 |
Roosevelt |
none |
Remarks at Gettysburg: "All are at one now, the sons of those who wore the blue and the sons of those who wore the gray, and all can unite in paying respect to the memory of those who fell, each of them giving his life for his duty as he saw it . . ." |
|
|
1905 |
Roosevelt |
none |
In NYC, Remarks at unveiling of statue to General Slocum (one of the youngest Generals serving in the Civil War) and at the YMCA. |
|
|
1906 |
Roosevelt |
none |
Speaks at Naval Yard at Portsmouth, VA. “We can not too highly honor the memory of the leaders in the Civil War—of Grant and Lee, of Sherman and Johnston, of Stonewall Jackson and Sheridan, of Farragut and of the captains who fought under and against him.” |
3/4/1906 Secretary of War Taft approved in principle the placing of a Confederate monument in Arlington. |
|
1907 |
Roosevelt |
None found |
In Indianapolis, attended the unveiling of a monument to General Henry Lawton. Placed wreath on the grave of President Harrison. Makes major policy Address about railroads and ICC. On the same day he made stops in Muncie and Anderson Indiana. |
|
|
1908 |
Roosevelt |
none |
At Arlington: participated in observances; role in open surrey, took with him a number of floral wreaths. Made no engagements to speak this year because of uncertainty as to the adjournment of Congress. |
|
|
1909 |
Taft |
none |
At Gettysburg; gave an Address; SUNDAY; observed on Monday 5/31. Unveiling of monument to regular soldiers who fell in civil war. Urges that the size of the standing army should not be reduced; our professional soldiers served us well in recent wars. |
ON 5/29 Taft was in Pittsburg and attended baseball game with Associated Yale Clubs. Taft's brother Charles was one of the owners of the Chicago National League Team. |
|
1910 |
Taft |
none |
In NYC; views parade; arrived early on Sunday, visited with brother and Maj. Gen Sickles, the last surviving corps commander of the Civil War. Did not speak. Fewer than 1500 Civil War veterans marched. |
|
|
1911 |
Taft |
none |
At Arlington. Address before an estimated 10,000 veterans of the Civil War. One of a series of speeches advocating developing institutions for international arbitration. “We should abate no effort and should strain every nerve and avail ourselves of every honorable possible device to avoid war in the future |
|
|
1912 |
Taft |
none |
At Arlington. Speaks on commitment to Constitutional limits. |
4/14/1912: Titanic sunk |
|
1913 |
Wilson |
none |
5/30 Went on 116-mile automobile ride on Maryland roads. NYT: Left WH at 10:30 am. Returned about 6:30p. Tumulty went to baseball game. "Invitations sent to the President to attend the ball game and other athletic events were not accepted by him out of deference to the objections of veterans to the holding of field sports on Memorial Day." |
NYT front page: Horse racing resumes at Belmont Park. Monument unveiled in NYC to those who died in Battleship Maine. Wilson sent a letter of regrets. Taft spoke. |
|
1914 |
Wilson |
none |
At Arlington. Made brief Address (after changing his mind previously saying he would not speak). Main Speaker: Champ Clark, Speaker of the House. |
5/9/1914: first observance of Mothers Day. 5/30/1914: Empress of Ireland steamship sinks, nearly 1000 dead. 6/4/1914: Wilson spoke at unveiling of Confederate monument at Arlington on June 4, during thunderstorms. |
|
1915 |
Wilson |
none |
At Arlington: Wilson makes remarks. Ceremonies are on Monday 5/31. |
5/7/1915: Sinking of the Lusitania At Arlington: Dedication of Maine Monument; wreath for Army Major "lost with the Titanic." |
|
1916 |
Wilson |
none |
At Arlington: Makes an Address. We are overcoming the division of the Civil War, but face new division arising from attachments to the “nation of origin.” Calls for allegiance to America, pursuit of peace, willingness to “lend a hand and sacrifice.” |
3/21/1916 Executive Order to increase the strength of the Army. |
|
1917 |
Wilson |
none |
At Arlington: Memorial Day Address. speech--interrupted frequently by applause. “There are times when words seem empty and only action seems great. Such a time has come, and in the providence of God, America will once more have an opportunity to show the world that she was born to serve mankind.” |
4/6/1917: Declaration of War against Germany. 5/18/1917: Signs Selective Service Act. |
|
1918 |
Wilson |
Prayed at Central Presbyterian Church where Proclamation of President (“Pray for Peace”) was read. Attended ceremony at Arlington (Sen. Charles Curtis spoke). Went to Alexandria shipyards to drive a rivet into a ship under construction (the USS Gunston Hall). |
Intense European fighting. |
|
|
1919 |
Wilson |
none |
At American Cemetery at Suresnes, France, near Paris. Address. “We must have a League of Nations.” At Arlington: General Logan’s 1868 General Order was read aloud. |
01/06/1919 Death of Theodore Roosevelt. He is remembered in NYC on Memorial Day. Wilson At Suresnes: If we are not the servants of the opinion of mankind, we are of all men the littlest, the most contemptible, the least gifted with vision. If we do not know courage, we can not accomplish our purpose, and this age is an age which looks forward, not backward; which rejects the standard of national selfishness that once governed the counsels of nations and demands that they shall give way to a new order of things in which only the questions will be, “Is it right?” “Is it just?” “Is it in the interest of mankind?” |
|
1920 |
Wilson |
none |
Wilson confined at Home following a stroke. First WWI dead honored at Arlington; General Pershing speaks; 50,000 visit cemetery; read Gen. Logan's 1868 general order (also happened last year) |
September 1919: Wilson suffers stroke while campaigning for League of Nations Treaty. |
|
1921 |
Harding |
At Arlington. Makes the primary Address of the day. |
||
|
1922 |
Harding |
none |
At Dedication of Lincoln Memorial; makes Address. |
Supreme Court Justice (and former President) Taft gave account of the history of the Lincoln Memorial Commission. Taft was Chairman of the Commission. |
|
1923 |
Harding |
none |
At Arlington, Memorial Day Speech. |
General Logan’s General Order was read aloud at Memorial exercises at Carnegie Hall (NYT 5/31/23, p. 17) |
|
1924 |
Coolidge |
none |
At Arlington, Makes Address. |
|
|
1925 |
Coolidge |
none |
At Arlington, Makes Address |
In ceremonies at the Congressional Cemetery, General Logan’s Memorial Day orders were read aloud. |
|
1926 |
Coolidge |
none |
At Arlington, Makes Address |
|
|
1927 |
Coolidge |
none |
At Arlington, Makes Address |
|
|
1928 |
Coolidge |
none |
At Gettysburg, Makes Address |
|
|
1929 |
Hoover |
none |
At Arlington, Makes Address |
Arlington ceremony to be broadcast on radio. Ceremonies include “reading of General Logan’s order establishing Memorial Day. . . “ (NYT, 5/30/1929, p. 5). |
|
1930 |
Hoover |
none |
At Gettysburg, Makes Address |
|
|
1931 |
Hoover |
none |
At Valley Forge, Makes Address |
At Arlington, “General Logan’s order which established the GAR will be read. . . “ (NYT, 5/24/1931, p XX9) |
|
1932 |
Hoover |
none |
Working as usual. NYT p1: "In deference to the times, President Hoover and the Senate, because of the pressure of governmental business, will work as usual, and no special governmental observance of the day has been planned." . |
In NY 42 surviving GAR members march. Bonus Army "threat"; Focus on budget issues. |
|
1933 |
FDR |
none |
At Arlington, steady rain. No speech. June 1, 1933 addresses Naval Academy Graduation. |
Secy of Navy Claude Swanson spoke at Arlington: (NYT) said that the order that permitted the burial in Arlington of both Federal and Confederate troops had done much to wipe out the feeling between the states that lasted until many years after the Civil War." Airship Akron went down at sea on 4 April, remembered on 5/30. |
|
1934 |
FDR |
none |
At Gettysburg, makes Address. |
At Arlington, “General Logan’s order establishing Memorial Day was read. . . “ (NYT 5/31/1934, p 2). |
|
1935 |
FDR |
none |
At WH studying NRA. Rainfall forced the cancellation of a planned parade in front of WH. |
Exchanged messages with King Leopold of Belgium. |
|
1936 |
FDR |
none |
At Arlington. Speech by Gen. John J. Pershing. Wreath placed at the Tomb of Unknows on behalf of President. |
Exchanged messages with King Leopold of Belgium. |
|
1937 |
FDR |
none |
At Hyde Park with Mother from 5/30; there until Wednesday; Observances on Monday 5/31; |
5/31: Eleanor to Naval Academy as a guest at "Ring Dance." Increasing conflict in Europe: Germany vs Spain shelling of Almeria; "Nazi war against Catholic Church"; Steel strike and armed flighting in Youngstown. |
|
1938 |
FDR |
none |
At Hyde Park for “Memorial Day Vacation"; visited on 5/29 by the grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Wreath at Arlington placed by FDR aide Horace B. Smith; (Cincinnati Enquirer) |
FDR discussing reorganization with Congress. |
|
1939 |
FDR |
none |
At Hyde Park, resting at home. Inspected plans for improvements to a cottage where he will entertain King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at a picnic. |
A Southerner, Sen. Byrd, speaks at Gettysburg. |
|
1940 |
FDR |
none |
Gave “Special Press Conference.” [Not included in PPPUS.] NYT: The President discussed defense problems with various advisors, planning appropriations request for armed services; Defense Advisory Commission. |
Active ground fighting in Europe; Mid-May: German attack in France. Dunkirk evacuation, during and after Memorial Day. 5/31 Message to Congress asking for more Defense appropriations. |
|
1941 |
FDR |
none |
At Hyde Park, resting. Working on his papers adding explanatory notes. Broke away from the WH for the first time in 4 weeks. Took a long drive over back roads. Arlington ceremonies include a speech by Alvin York, a WWI hero. |
US not formally at war yet; lend-lease policy being implemented. 5/27 Proclamation of "unlimited national emergency." |
|
1942 |
FDR |
none |
In DC for Memorial Day Parade; FDR on reviewing stand "few blocks south of the WH" (Constitution Ave). Did not attend observances at Arlington or elsewhere. |
First formal parade since Pearl Harbor; lasted about 45 minutes. |
|
1943 |
FDR |
none |
No public activity reported. FDR's wreath put on Tomb of Unknowns; (5/30 was on Sunday, observed on Sunday), Eleanor addressing "Women of the armed forces of the United Nations." |
For the first time no Civil War veteran at Arlington. Intense fighting WWII. |
|
1944 |
FDR |
none |
Held Press Conference; discusses United Nations. Military aide placed wreath at Tomb of Unknown; FDR paid "unheralded visit" to Tomb of Unknown. |
|
|
1945 |
Truman |
none |
No reports of Truman activities. "It will be work as usual in a majority of Government Departments." |
Roosevelt died on 4/12/1945. |
|
1946 |
Truman |
none |
At Arlington, 9:00 AM to lay wreath, then spends day aboard Presidential yacht Williamsburg; |
NYT says 1946 is "first Peacetime Memorial Day since 1941" |
|
1947 |
Truman |
none |
At Arlington 11:00 AM, puts wreath at Tomb of Unknown; his plans for uninterrupted weekend of work postponed by vigil for ailing mother. Truman "met his staff at the customary time of 9:00 am;" had no outside visitors. |
Newspapers show concern for supplies of hamburger meat, holiday travel rush. |
|
1948 |
Truman |
At Arlington. Lays wreath at Tomb of the Unknown. (5/30 on Sunday and observed on Sunday.) Made brief, informal remarks. |
5/28/1948 Congressional Resolution on Memorial Day. On Yacht Williamsburg both before and after these events; visits Annapolis to see athletic events. |
|
|
1949 |
Truman |
On a 3-day cruise; Sunday services at Annapolis returning Monday evening. Aides place wreath at Arlington on Monday morning. |
“General Logan’s order establishing Memorial Day” will be read during the services at the Arlington amphitheater." |
|
|
1950 |
Truman |
“Mr Truman left yesterday to spend the holiday cruising on the Potomac." (Washington Post p. 7) Arlington speaker, George C. Marshall defends UN. Aide places Truman's wreath at Tomb of Unknown (and also Confederate Monument and Civil War unknowns). |
Washington Post notes that Memorial Day is not an Alabama State holiday. Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama is on April 26. Truman’s proclamation refers to May 30 1950 “and each succeeding Memorial Day. . . “ Citing Joint Resolution 64 Stat 158. |
|
|
1951 |
Truman |
none |
5/29: HST left DC on 5/29 for "long Memorial Day rest aboard the U.S.S. Williamsburg cruising in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay waters." ". . . Joined Americans everywhere today in prayers for permanent peace." |
In News Conference on 5/24/51: reminded reporters of his 1950 Proclamation which applied to "each succeeding Memorial Day" and suggested 11:00 am as time to pray. |
|
1952 |
Truman |
5/23/1952 (Statement) |
Only 5/30 activity reported: meets Acheson at the airport. Truman aide places wreath. |
|
|
1953 |
Eisenhower |
At Arlington in AM, placed wreath; in afternoon played golf. |
||
|
1954 |
Eisenhower |
At Arlington: places wreath at Tomb of the Unknown. Sits in Presidential box of Memorial Aamphitheater to hear Secretary of Navy speak and call for unity On M/31, in evening spoke in NYC at Columbia Dinner warned of demagogues. This was "National Bicentennial Dinner of Columbia University." |
||
|
1955 |
Eisenhower |
At Gettysburg, did not speak. President drove from his farm, interrupting long week-end of golf and rest. Vice-President Nixon spoke at Arlington. |
5/31: Statement by President on polio vaccine situation. |
|
|
1956 |
Eisenhower |
In the morning before 11 am: prayed "in a nearly empty church"--St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church. Then driven back to White House. No speech or statements. |
||
|
1957 |
Eisenhower |
Spent a quiet day at the White House. Wreath placed at Unknowns on his behalf. |
Lots of discussion in NYT of Memorial Day traffic and fewer than expected fatalities. |
|
|
1958 |
Eisenhower |
At Arlington: participates in services to bury unknowns from WWII and Korea; Later met with 216 Medal of Honor winners at the White House to seek help in reorganizing the DOD. Made informal remarks at WH |
||
|
1959 |
Eisenhower |
At White House: spent a quiet day; no formal activities scheduled. Memorial wreath sent to Arlington via aides. |
Mounting death toll on highways--setting records; |
|
|
1960 |
Eisenhower |
At farm in Gettysburg until 3:25pm, arrived at WH at 5:15. drove to farm Thursday afternoon, played golf on Friday. (Memorial Day was Monday) Wreath placed at Arlington in his behalf. |
Scaffold falls at Indianapolis Speedway resulting in deaths; |
|
|
1961 |
Kennedy |
Evening of 5/30: Speech to annual dinner of Eleanor Roosevelt Cancer Foundation at Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York. Had spent the weekend and celebrated his 44th birthday at Hyannis Port, MA. At Arlington: Aides place wreath on his behalf. |
Arrived in NYC by plane at 4:01pm. |
|
|
1962 |
Kennedy |
Spent day "in seclusion” at Glen Ora, their private home in Loudon County, VA. Celebrated his 45th birthday at family dinner. Back to White House by helicopter on 5/31. |
||
|
1963 |
Kennedy |
At Arlington, personally placed a wreath at Tomb of Unknowns. Brief visit, made no remarks. Returned to WH, then by helicopter to Camp David. |
Racial tension. Racial justice raised in remarks by Sargent Shriver at Hyde Park, and LBJ at Gettysburg. Federal troops had been sent to Birmingham in mid-May. Martin Luther King Jr. jailed in Birmingham in mid-April. |
|
|
1964 |
LBJohnson |
In Texas: Spoke at Johnson City High School Graduation. Gave commencement Address at University of Texas: "Goal of a higher education for every young American with the desire and capacity to learn." Wreath laid in his behalf at Unknowns |
Memorial Day does not make front page of NYT. Attention to JFK birth anniversary; worlds fair; baseball games. |
|
|
1965 |
LBJohnson |
At his Johnson City ranch relaxing for the weekend. "Presidential wreath" laid at Arlington. (5/30= Sunday) No official business announced at ranch. |
5/28: Commencement Address at Baylor |
|
|
1966 |
LBJohnson |
At Arlington, makes speech justifying Vietnam; calling for politics of compromise. ". . . We shall help the people of South Vietnam see this through." |
||
|
1967 |
LBJohnson |
At LBJ Ranch; exchanges Memorial Day message with Chairman Thieu; joined in a private Memorial Day prayer Service." |
Anti-war protests on the day. |
|
|
1968 |
LBJohnson |
In Texas. 5/30: news conference at Ranch; 5/29 "Memorial Day Message to Men and Women of the Armed Forces"; At Arlington, Clark Clifford laid presidential wreath. |
3/31/1968: Announced that he was not running for reelection |
SOME NOTES ON SOURCES
Almost all of the information about Presidential activities on Memorial Day comes from contemporary newspaper accounts. I relied on the Proquest News and Newspapers Database accessed through the UCSB Davidson Library, as well as the Washington Post Historical Database and the New York Times "Timesmachine."
The general topic of our changing memory of the Civil War is explored in impressive depth in David W. Blight Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory (Cambridge MA.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2001).
There has been considerable energy devoted to discovering who "really" first "decorated" graves of soldiers following the Civil War. An interesting contribution to that effort is Daniel Belware and Richard Gardiner, The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America, Columbus GA: Columbus State University 2014. They usefully note that decorating gravesites is an ancient practice.
There is extensive information about the Confederate Monument at Arlington Cemetery at the Cemetery Website. A history of the monument was authored by Hilary A. Herbert, and is linked online at this very useful and informative page addressing the Confederate Memorial generally.
Keywords: Memorial Day History; Presidents and Memorial Day; The Blue and the Gray; General Orders No. 11.