Robert E. Lee's birthday (January 19, 1807) had been celebrated as a Virginia holiday since 1889.
"Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824) to the holiday, and Lee–Jackson Day was born.
[1] In 1983, the United States Congress declared January 15 to be a national holiday in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Since 1978, Virginia had celebrated King's birthday in conjunction with New Year's Day.
"[2] In 2000, Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore proposed splitting Lee–Jackson–King Day into two separate holidays after debate arose over whether the nature of the holiday which simultaneously celebrated the lives of two Confederate generals who fought to defend slavery and a civil rights icon was incongruous.