Edith Rogers was an American social welfare volunteer and politician who served as a Republican in the United States Congress. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts. Until 2012, she was the longest serving Congresswoman and was the longest serving female Representative until 2018. In her 35 years in the House of Representatives she was a powerful voice for veterans and sponsored seminal legislation, including the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, which provided educational and financial benefits for veterans returning home from World War II, the 1942 bill that created the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), and the 1943 bill that created the Women's Army Corps (WAC). She was also instrumental in bringing federal appropriations to her constituency, Massachusetts's 5th congressional district. Her love and devotion to veterans and their complex needs upon returning to civilian life is represented by the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford Massachusetts that is named in her honor.
Edith Nourse Rogers
Margaret Speaks, left, daughter of Rep. John C. Speaks of Ohio, photographed while selling peanuts to Edith N. Rogers and Senator Frederick H. Gillett at the game between the Democratic and Republican teams of the House of Representatives.
Claude Bowers, right, is pictured with Rep. Sol Bloom. chairman of the Committee, and Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers, Republican of Massachusetts
Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts presides over the House Chamber in this image from 1926 of the Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
The G.I. Bill, formally known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans. The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, but the term "G.I. Bill" is still used to refer to programs created to assist American military veterans.
President Roosevelt signs the G.I. Bill into law on June 22, 1944.
Don A. Balfour was "the first recipient of the 1944 GI Bill." Veterans Administration letter to George Washington University.
A government poster informing soldiers about the G.I. Bill