teruterubozu
Member
I'm fairly certain this is true? Its been a while. They were presidential "proclamations" back in the day, essentially the same thing.
The actual proclamation from Library of Congress: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/GW/gw004.html
That's for a single day of Thanksgiving - to observe just that day in 1787. Not a federal holiday- Abe Lincoln instituted the holiday. Washington's first order was that no citizens shall interfere with the war between England and France.