Who Is Generally Considered The Founder Of Memorial Day?

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States, traditionally observed on the last Monday of May. It is a time for remembering and honoring those who have died in service to their country. Its actual origin and founding can be traced back to several people who were involved in the commemoration of fallen soldiers during and after the American Civil War. However, the person most widely accepted as being the founder of Memorial Day is General John A. Logan.

General Logan was born in 1826 and was a Union veteran who had served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. He had been deeply affected by the death and destruction of the Civil War and was determined to find a way to commemorate, remember, and honor all those who had died in service of their country.

In May 1868, General Logan issued an order to the Grand Army of the Republic—an organization of Union veterans—to observe Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day, on May 30 of that year. In that order, he declared that on May 30, members of the GAR should decorate the graves of fallen Union soldiers with flowers and flags.

As the years passed, similar observances spread across the nation and became more widely known and accepted as the national day of remembrance. In 1971, the day was officially declared as Memorial Day and has since become a widely observed federal holiday.

Despite having only issued one order and having no major role in creating the observance after 1868, General John A. Logan is considered by many to be the founder of Memorial Day. His legacy lives on through his order and through the many celebrations of fallen soldiers held annually in the United States in his name.