When was Thanksgiving established as a national holiday in the United States? President George Washington was the first to issue a proclamation for a day of Thanksgiving in 1789. However, it was Sarah Josepha Hale, the influential author and editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, who petitioned Congress and five different presidents to create a national annual holiday for Thanksgiving between 1846-1863. She was finally successful in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday on the last Thursday in November. Newt’s guest is Melanie Kirkpatrick. She is the author of two books on the subject: Lady Editor: Sarah Josepha Hale and the Making of the Modern American Woman and Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience.