A First for the GI Bill

Just 23 hours after former President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the 1944 GI Bill of Rights into law, Don A. Balfour, a World War II U.S. Army veteran and George Washington University alumnus, became the first veteran to use the educational benefit.

Balfour was enrolled at GW when he was approved for the benefit, which afforded him free tuition and $50 a month to fund his studies in foreign commerce, now known as international business. He was active in GW campus life and served as comptroller of the student council, business manager of the drama group and an editorial staff member with The Hatchet.

As a student journalist, Balfour set up an interview with a federal official the day after the bill—officially known as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944—was signed into law. He brought his discharge papers with him to the meeting because he knew he might be able to take advantage of the benefits. The official immediately approved the paperwork and dictated a letter that enrolled Balfour as the first ever GI Bill recipient.

He graduated from GW and became a federal government employee, an insurance agent and an insurance company owner in the Washington, D.C., area. In an interview with a GW archivist, Balfour credited the GI Bill for affording him the opportunity to succeed.

While not definitively verified, this photograph is believed to depict Balfour during his time at GW, marking a pivotal moment in the university’s history and in the broader national effort to expand educational access for veterans.