Thanksgiving proclamations typically come from presidents, but this one from a first lady endures

Historians, in writing about the chronicle of Thanksgiving in the United States, usually concentrate on presidential proclamations for the holiday. To be sure, Congress sometimes has a role in delineating special dates, but a national day of thanks in November became identified with chief executives, thanks to George Washington, whose proclamation for a “day of public thanksgiving” in 1789 set the precedent.