Anna Jarvis, an American social activist and devoted daughter, is best known as the founder of Mother’s Day in the United States—a holiday now celebrated around the world. Born on May 1, 1864, in Webster, West Virginia, Jarvis grew up deeply inspired by her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who had organized Mothers’ Day Work Clubs to improve health and sanitation during and after the Civil War.
After her mother’s death in 1905, Anna Jarvis embarked on a determined campaign to establish a national day honoring mothers. Her vision was not commercial, but personal, a heartfelt tribute to the sacrifices and influence of mothers. Thanks to her relentless lobbying, President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed Mother’s Day a national holiday in 1914, to be celebrated annually on the second Sunday in May.
Ironically, as the holiday gained popularity, it became increasingly commercialized, something Jarvis vehemently opposed. She spent much of her later life campaigning against the very industry that had co-opted her cause, denouncing the greeting card companies, florists, and confectioners for turning Mother’s Day into what she saw as a profit-driven spectacle.
Jarvis never married and had no children of her own. Yet her legacy as the founder of Mother’s Day endures, highlighting both her dedication to honoring maternal bonds and her complex relationship with the cultural impact of her work.
Anna Jarvis died in 1948, penniless and in obscurity, but her contribution remains deeply woven into the fabric of American life.
