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So there are actually quite a few parts to this. Although efforts to establish a holiday honoring the life of the civil rights leader began just days after his assasination in 1968, the federal holiday (the third Monday in January) wasn’t signed into law until 1983, and it was first observed in 1986.

However, the story at the state level is a lot more complicated. Some states started observing the holiday (then on his birthday, Jan. 15) as early as 1970, but it wasn’t observed by every state until 2000, a full 14 years after the first federal observance. And even though all states now commemorate some version of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, in a few holdouts it’s still combined with Robert E. Lee’s birthday.

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Mac O'Connell

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4y ago
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10y ago

Ronald Reagan signed the bill making Martin Luther King Day a national holiday on November 2, 1983. George H.W. Bush declared that the holiday be observed on the third Monday in January each year in 1989.

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10y ago

Ronald Reagan signed the bill making Martin Luther King Day a national holiday on November 2, 1983.

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10y ago

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was first observed officially on January 20, 1986. It was not until January of 2000 that all states observed it.

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Q: When was Martin Luther King Day officially observed?
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Related questions

What year was Martin Luther King Day first observed?

The holiday for Dr. Martin Luther king was first observed January 20, 1986Martin Luther King Day was first observed in 1986 on 20th January. It celebrated the life and accomplishments to Martin Luther King.


Is May eighth Martin Luther King Day?

No, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday in January each year.


What state observed Martin Luther King Day first?

Missouri was the first state to adopt Martin Luther King Day as national holiday.


In what year was the first Martin Luther King Day observed?

1980


What was Martin Luther King jr's dad's name?

The father of Martin Luther King, Jr. was Martin Luther King, Sr.


What was Martin Luther King jr father name?

martin Luther king dad name was Damien


Why was Martin Luther King Jr. named after Martin Luther?

Martin Luther King Jr was not named after Martin Luther. Martin Luther King Jr was named after his father, Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King was named after Martin Luther.


When is MLK day?

Martin Luther King Day is the third Monday of January. In 2014, the date is January 20, 2014. (FYI: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s actual birthday is January 15. The holiday always falls after January 14 and before January 22.)


What year was Martin Luther King Day observed as a national holiday?

On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill proposed by Representative Nancy Hall of Indiana which created a federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was first observed on January 20, 1986.


When did Martin Luther King Day start?

Martin Luther King Day was first observed as a national holiday on January 20, 1986.


What month was Martin Luther King born?

Febraury is the month you celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day January The third Monday in January, observed in the United States in commemoration of the birthday (15 January 1929) of Martin Luther King, Jr.


What is Martin Luther King Jr's father name?

Martin Luther King