John F. Kennedy Signed Peace Corps Act Page.

KENNEDY, John F.

$9,800.00

Item Number: 145801

Seventh page of an official printing of ‘An Act to provide for a Peace Corps to help the peoples of interested countries and areas in meeting their needs for skilled manpower.’ One page, boldly signed in the lower margin by President John F. Kennedy. In fine condition. Framed. The entire piece measures 14 inches by 10 inches. This section of the document outlines the general powers and authorities granted to the president under the act, and it appears to be from a printer’s proof of the act: an erroneous quotation mark next to part “(d)” is circled in pencil, which does not appear in the final version of the signed act held in the National Archives. Framed and in fine condition. This document was presented by President Kennedy to Bill Moyers, the first deputy director of the Peace Corps, in 1961. It has been in his or the family’s possession since then. A magnificent offering related to one of JFK’s most enduring legacies.

In one of his earliest and most influential acts as president, John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by an executive order, issued on March 1, 1961, and officially approved by Congress on September 22, 1961. First proposed to students at the University of Michigan during Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign, the Peace Corps was created to assist other countries in their development efforts by providing skilled workers in the fields of education, agriculture, health, trade, technology, and community development - to date, over 230,000 US citizens have volunteered in 141 countries.