Since the beginning of the American Red Cross, the President of the United States has been involved in our mission. At the organization’s advent, President Abraham Lincoln authorized Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, to identify the fate of missing soldiers for grieving parents, family and friends after the Civil War.
From Lincoln on, Presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt initiated the American Red Cross disaster relief program in 1906 and Jimmy Carter, who frequently donated blood to Red Cross’s biomed program.
President Woodrow Wilson regularly worked and advocated for the Red Cross and was the first President to be named Honorary Chairman of the Red Cross in 1913, beginning the tradition of all subsequent presidents receiving this title. His work continued when he requested that the Acting Chairman of the American Red Cross serve on the National War Finance Committee, together they proceeded to raise the most money a philanthropic cause ever received. Wilson also encouraged young folks to join the recently founded Junior Red Cross.
President John F. Kennedy upheld the tradition set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943 and honored by all presidents since and declared the month of March to be Red Cross month, on Feb. 22, 1962. Additionally, as Honorary Chairman, he implored the American people to keep pace with the demands of our communities and to support Red Cross campaigns with membership and donations.
Most recently, current President Donald Trump was appointed as Honorary Chairman of the American Red Cross in 2017 and has completed duties such as appointing the chairman of the Board of Governors and assigning members of his Administrative cabinet to serve on the Red Cross Cabinet Council. Trump continued the tradition and proclaimed March American Red Cross month on March 1, 2019.
In honor of President’s day, we invite you to celebrate with us and reflect on the history of the presidents’ close collaboration with the American Red Cross.