Arizona’s “Father of the GI Bill” credited with writing the provisions for education and loan benefits for veterans and helping get the bill passed, the legislation turns 75 on June 22 June 6, 2019 – Phoenix, Ariz. – Since it was signed into law, millions of U.S. veterans have benefitted from the GI Bill of Rights (Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944). Celebrating its 75th Anniversary on June 22, 2019, few know of Arizona’s “Father of the GI Bill,” Ernest W. McFarland, and his fight to add the provisions to give educational and home/business loan benefits to veterans.
Born in 1894 in a log cabin in Oklahoma, McFarland, or “Mac” as he was known, came to Arizona in 1919 for his health after almost losing his life to illness after a brief stint in the Navy.
With only $10 in his pocket, McFarland began life in his adoptive state as a farmer to later rise to the ranks of US Senator, US Senate Majority Leader, Governor, Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court and the founder of KTVK in Phoenix. He is the only Arizonan to serve in the highest office in all three branches of Arizona government, two at the state level, one at the federal level.
While McFarland deserves to be recognized for his unique role in Arizona history, it was his pursuit of what would become the GI Bill that may have made the most lasting impact on post-World War II America.
McFarland had seen firsthand WWI veterans returning home to rampant unemployment and long soup kitchen lines. McFarland knew that without government intervention there would be 16 million returning WWII vets without educational and housing opportunities which could have led the country into economic depression.
While the American Legion promoted a veterans omnibus bill drafted by Warren Atherton (R-California) containing health and economic benefits, Senator McFarland drafted a bill that included provisions that allowed veterans to obtain their educations and take advantage of zero-down, low-interest home and business loans.
Working with both houses of Congress to incorporate the two bills, McFarland and Atherton worked to promote what became the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act.
The United States Senate and the House of Representatives approved the legislation and on June 22, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt signed what is now known as the G.I. Bill of Rights, or G.I. Bill, into law.
For his efforts, McFarland is considered (with Atherton) a Father of the GI Bill – considered by many to be one of the most successful pieces of social legislation ever written.
The impact of the bill was far-reaching.
A 2015 article by American RadioWorks stated, “The GI Bill increased the country’s intellectual capital exponentially. The Bill funded the educations of 22,000 dentists, 67,000 doctors, 91,000 scientists, 238,000 teachers, 240,000 accountants, and 450,000 engineers, as well as three Supreme Court justices, three presidents, a dozen senators, 14 Nobel Prize winners, and two dozen Pulitzer Prize Winners.”
Millions of returning veterans also took advantage of the GI Bill’s home loan guaranty. From 1944 to 1952, the VA backed an estimated 2.4 million loans.
The bill eventually became an enlistment tool for the military. Tony Drabek from Tucson, Ariz., an Army Aviator who served from 1966 to 1970, said “I received my pilot’s license and college degree through the GI Bill. The bill was a prime motivator for enlisting for many of the men in my unit. Most of us were from families lacking the financial resources for college.“
McFarland was recently honoured on March 30 in Florence, Ariz., where he began his political career. “The Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the GI Bill and Ernest McFarland” featured a parade and tributes from the American Legion, representatives from Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s office and other dignitaries.
No one at the time of the original bill could have imagined how McFarland’s foresight would end up impacting the nation’s veterans, educational system, and workforce for generations to come.
For more information on Ernest W. McFarland, www.ewmcfarland.org, email info@ewmcfarland.org or call (602) 466-3333.
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Phone: (602) 466-3333
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Website: www.ewmcfarland.org
