For almost 50 years, retired history teacher Bill Collins would spend Labor Day not at a vacation place but a cemetery. He and his relatives would surround his great-grandfather's tombstone to commemorate his founding of the national workers' holiday. Meanwhile, retired banker JoAnn Richardson celebrates the occasion by showing friends her family photos and yellowed newspaper clippings applauding her great-grandfather for proffering Labor Day. Who is the true founder of Labor Day?
When is Labor Day?
Labor Day is commemorated on September 7 this 2020. It is a United States government occasion celebrated on the first Monday of September annually.
Two Men With Similar Names
Not many people are aware of who is responsible for this extra day off from work.
Two men with similar names are credited for proposing Labor Day for workers -- carpenter Peter McGuire and machinist Matthew Maguire, reported Tap Into Morristown.
People remain to be dubious as to who first proposed the holiday for workers after over a century following the first Labor Day observance.
According to a couple of records, McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor and general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, was first in proposing a day to honor people "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold," reported Substance News.
On another note, according to recent research, Maguire, secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey was the father of Labor Day who suggested it in 1882 while working as secretary of New York's Central Labor Union.
Nevertheless, a person in the early 1880s proposed that we honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold" as McGuire put it. It was implemented by municipalities across the country in 1885, reported The Marietta Times.
The commemoration became the parade-filled three-day weekend we know today.
What is Clear
The clear history is that the Central Labor Union implemented the Labor Day proposal and designated a committee to organize a demonstration and picnic.
The First Labor Day
In accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union, the first Labor Day holiday was commemorated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.
Labor Day's Origins
Labor Day's origins are of a dispute. Most people credit Maguire for proposing the idea while some scholars believe it was McGuire who necessitates credit.
The Department of Labor credits McGuire while but throughout the years, evidence has surfaced suggesting Maguire proposed the holiday.
The US Department of Labor is appealing for the public's opinion in this mystery. Individuals interested in helping to solve the dispute over the real father of Labor Day are invited to vote on Tap into Morristown's website.
Signing into Law
President Grover Cleveland eventually signed Labor Day into law, declaring the first Monday of September annually a national holiday.
The form that the observance and commemoration of the holiday should take was outlined in the holiday's first proposal -- a street parade to showcase to the public.
Related Article: Knoxville Zoo's Chacoan Peccary 'Labors' On Labor Day Weekend
