FDR and the GI Bill
On June 22, 1944, (67 years ago today) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill or the G.I. Bill of Rights. over the next 12 years, 7.8 million World War II veterans participated in an education or training program and 2.4 million veterans had home loans backed by the Veterans' Administration (VA).
Harry W. Colmery, a World War I veteran and the former Republican National Committee chairman, was the draftsman of the first G.I. Bill. The bill was introduced in the House on January 10, 1944, and in the Senate the following day. Both chambers approved their own versions of the bill. Although many portray Roosevelt as an extreme social engineer, the bill that he initially proposed was not as far reaching as the one passed in congress. The bill was intended to prevent a repetition of the Bonus March of 1932 and a relapse into the Great Depression after the end of the war.
A key provision of the G.I. Bill was low interest, zero down payment home loans for servicemen. This enabled millions of American families to move out of urban apartments and into suburban homes. Prior to the war the suburbs tended to be the homes of the wealthy and upper class. Another provision was known as the 52–20 clause. This enabled all former servicemen to receive $20 once a week for 52 weeks a year while they were looking for work. Less than 20 percent of the money set aside for the 52–20 Club was distributed. Most returning servicemen quickly found jobs or pursued higher education.
Harry W. Colmery, a World War I veteran and the former Republican National Committee chairman, was the draftsman of the first G.I. Bill. The bill was introduced in the House on January 10, 1944, and in the Senate the following day. Both chambers approved their own versions of the bill. Although many portray Roosevelt as an extreme social engineer, the bill that he initially proposed was not as far reaching as the one passed in congress. The bill was intended to prevent a repetition of the Bonus March of 1932 and a relapse into the Great Depression after the end of the war.
A key provision of the G.I. Bill was low interest, zero down payment home loans for servicemen. This enabled millions of American families to move out of urban apartments and into suburban homes. Prior to the war the suburbs tended to be the homes of the wealthy and upper class. Another provision was known as the 52–20 clause. This enabled all former servicemen to receive $20 once a week for 52 weeks a year while they were looking for work. Less than 20 percent of the money set aside for the 52–20 Club was distributed. Most returning servicemen quickly found jobs or pursued higher education.