In 1907, a lady in Philadelphia, Anna Jarvis, began lobbying for a day when our nation would honor mothers. She persuaded the leaders of the church her mother attended to designate the second Sunday of May as Mother's Day.
After Mrs. Jarvis had written countles letters to political authorities across the nation, by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother's Day a national holiday. He chose the second Sunday in May for the annual celebration. The second Sunday in May was the anniversary of the death of Mrs. Jarvis' mother.