Why is Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday?
Because of a 1941 law. Lincoln set it for the last Thursday in 1863, Roosevelt moved it a week earlier in 1939, and Congress ended the argument by choosing the fourth Thursday.
Quick Answer
Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November because Congress made it law in 1941. Before that, the date was set by presidents. On October 3, 1789, George Washington proclaimed Thursday, November 26, a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. In 1863, after a 36-year letter-writing campaign by editor Sarah Josepha Hale, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving for the last Thursday of November. That held until 1939, when November had five Thursdays and the last fell on the 30th. Concerned that a short Christmas shopping season would slow the economy’s recovery, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving a week earlier, to November 23. Some states followed him, others didn’t and some celebrated both days. To end the confusion, Congress passed a resolution that Roosevelt signed on December 26, 1941, setting Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday. In 2026, that’s November 26.
By the Numbers
Key Facts
- The rule
- The fourth Thursday of November, set by a resolution Roosevelt signed on Dec. 26, 1941
- Before 1941
- The last Thursday of November, since Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation
- Why Thursday
- Washington’s 1789 proclamation named a Thursday, and Hale pointed Lincoln to it
- This year
- Thursday, November 26, 2026
Timeline
- Oct. 3, 1789
President Washington proclaims Thursday, November 26, a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.
- Oct. 3, 1863
President Lincoln proclaims Thanksgiving for the last Thursday of November.
- 1939
Roosevelt moves Thanksgiving a week earlier, to November 23. The country splits.
- Oct. 6, 1941
The House passes a resolution for the last Thursday; the Senate changes it to the fourth Thursday.
- Dec. 26, 1941
Roosevelt signs the resolution, setting Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday.
Washington, Hale and Lincoln
George Washington proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving for Thursday, November 26, 1789. In 1863, Lincoln’s proclamation was the first time a president singled out a specific date, the last Thursday in November, for the holiday called Thanksgiving. It came after Sarah Josepha Hale’s 36-year campaign. In a September 28, 1863, letter, she reminded Lincoln that Washington had set a national thanksgiving in 1789.
“Franksgiving”
In 1939, November had five Thursdays, which put Thanksgiving on the 30th. Business leaders worried that the short stretch before Christmas would hurt the recovering economy, and Roosevelt moved the holiday to the 23rd. Some states went along, others refused and some observed both days. Critics called it “Franksgiving.” For two years, the country celebrated two Thanksgivings.
Why “fourth” and not “last”
In 1941, the House passed a resolution making the last Thursday the legal Thanksgiving. The Senate changed it to the fourth Thursday, which covers the years when November has five Thursdays, and the House agreed. Roosevelt signed it on December 26, 1941.
Myth vs. Fact
MythThanksgiving has always been on the fourth Thursday.
FactIt was the last Thursday under Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation. Congress changed it to the fourth Thursday in 1941.
MythRoosevelt moved Thanksgiving for good.
FactHis 1939 change split the country and didn’t last. Congress ended the confusion in 1941.
The Bottom Line
Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday because Congress settled it in 1941, after Lincoln chose the last Thursday and Roosevelt’s 1939 experiment divided the country.