Some historians say that
the origins of
Father’s
Day in the United States can be traced to a young woman by the name
of Sonora Smart Dodd, who reportedly came up with the idea while listening to a
Mother’s Day sermon in Spokane, Washington in 1909. Raised by her widowed
father, a Civil War veteran who had lost his wife after the birth of their
sixth child, Sonora felt that her father should be honored in the same way that
mothers were on Mother’s Day.
Toward that end, a special Father’s Day observance was held on
June 19, 1910. Although that celebration was a local affair, the idea of a
national Father’s Day picked up steam when it was endorsed by President Calvin
Coolidge in 1924, but it would take another thirty years before Father’s Day
was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress. Then, in 1966, the first
proclamation
honoring fathers was issued by President Lyndon Johnson, who designated the
third Sunday in June as Father's Day.
Today, of course,
Americans celebrate Father's Day in a wide variety of ways, with perhaps the
most traditional festivity being an old-fashioned, American-style barbecue. So...it seems only fitting this week to honor LBJ, who was
well-known for his love of down-home, country barbecues at his beloved
family
ranch in Gillespie County, Texas.
Barbecuing,
of course, has been used as a tool in American political campaigns and
elections for more than a century, but no politician ever used “the
conviviality and informality of cooking and
eating
outdoors” more than Johnson. As his political career progressed, his barbecues got bigger and more elaborate, and as more important guests
visited the ranch, his wife Lady Bird “undertook the first of several
remodeling plans to host them in style. Eventually the ranch would include
several guest suites, a swimming pool, a radio tower, and an airstrip capable
of handling small jets.”
But the most important
barbecue ever planned for the LBJ Ranch never happened. It was scheduled,
according to historians, for November 23,
1963, when Johnson, President Kennedy, and their entourages
were planning to "dine beneath the oaks on the Pedernales." But...
a few hours
before they were to board the choppers from Dallas to Johnson City, on November
22, Kennedy was assassinated two cars in front of Johnson as they drove in a
motorcade. Instead of taking his boss for a tour around his spread and feeding
him barbecue, Johnson found himself back in Washington attending memorial
services, and meeting with the cabinet, leaders of Congress, and former
Presidents Eisenhower and Truman.
A month later,
frazzled from, as Ladybird described it, the "tornado of activity that has
surrounded us", the Johnson family retreated to the ranch on Christmas
Eve. West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard was scheduled to visit the President
to discuss the Soviet threat, the Berlin Wall, and other important matters.
Rather than return to Washington for a formal State Dinner, Lyndon invited
Erhard and his entourage on down to what historians claim was the first official
Presidential barbecue in history. Yes, Johnson's first state dinner was a
barbecue for 300 catered by Walter Jetton on December 29, 1963.
When his staff realized it would be chilly that day, the
sit-down part was moved indoors to Stonewall High School gymnasium, about two
miles away. Workers did an admirable job of creating an outdoorsy feel with
bales of hay, red lanterns, red-checkered table cloths, saddles, lassos, and
mariachis. According to Lady Bird's diary, "there were beans (pinto beans,
always), delicious barbecued spareribs, cole slaw, followed by fried apricot
pies with lots of hot coffee. And plenty of beer."
Although those particular recipes may have been lost to
posterity, biographers say that some Johnson family favorites included Chipped
Beef covered with Cream,
Pedernales
River Chili, and Beef Stroganoff. And Lady Bird reportedly enjoyed
handing out the recipe for her famous homemade Barbecue Sauce.
If you’d
like to add a zip to your Father's Day celebration this
weekend, here is Lady Bird's original recipe to try:
¼ cup butter
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup
ketchup
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup Worcestershire
sauce
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and Tabasco to taste
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add
other ingredients and bring to a boil. Yields 1 ½ cups.
FAST FACT: With the Vietnam War raging overseas, the Johnson family cut
back on the lavish White House entertaining that had been a Kennedy hallmark.
There were occasional barbecues at the White House, according to
historians,
but most social occasions were used to elicit political support. Johnson's
Texas ranch provided the real refuge from the pressures of office, and the
family retreated there often, where Johnson could be seen driving the dusty
ranch roads in a large
Cadillac
convertible or relaxing on long walks."
After
participating in Fourth of July festivities at the Washington Monument on a blistering hot day, Zachary
Taylor consumed a large bowl of cherries
and pitcher of iced milk and suddenly fell ill with a terrible stomach
ache. Within five days, he was dead.
