<P> Many Italian - Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage , and the first such celebration was held in New York City on October 12 , 1866 . The day was first enshrined as a legal holiday in the United States through the lobbying of Angelo Noce , a first generation Italian , in Denver . The first statewide holiday was proclaimed by Colorado governor Jesse F. McDonald in 1905 , and it was made a statutory holiday in 1907 . In April 1934 , as a result of lobbying by the Knights of Columbus and New York City Italian leader Generoso Pope , Congress and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 a federal holiday under the name Columbus Day . </P>
<P> Many Italian - Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage , and the first such celebration was held in New York City on October 12 , 1866 . The day was first enshrined as a legal holiday in the United States through the lobbying of Angelo Noce , a first generation Italian , in Denver . The first statewide holiday was proclaimed by Colorado governor Jesse F. McDonald in 1905 , and it was made a statutory holiday in 1907 . In April 1934 , as a result of lobbying by the Knights of Columbus and New York City Italian leader Generoso Pope , Congress and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 a federal holiday under the name Columbus Day . </P>
when was columbus day made a national holiday
when was columbus day made a national holiday
April 1934
April 1934