Photograph of Selective Service, 1918

When the United States entered World War I, they lacked the number of enlisted men necessary to contend with the armies of Europe. Therefore, though conscription was controversial, it was a necessity. On May 18, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Selective Service Act into law and established the World War I draft. In this photo, Vice President Thomas R. Marshall draws numbers during the third draft lottery in September 1918.

Wigmore opposed American entry into the war, but he had long been in favor of compulsory military service. Early in 1917, he supported a Compulsory Service Bill that required six months of service for all American citizens. Wigmore’s own enlistment was voluntary, and he applied for a commission before the draft was enacted, reporting for duty on July 9, 1917. As chief of the Statistical Division in the Selective Service Administration, Wigmore was essential to the proper administration of the draft, conducting surveys that ensured the military and industrial manpower needs of the United States were met.

Wigmore brought this photo back with him when he returned home to Chicago after the war.

Transcription of the Wigmore's Notes on the Back of the Photograph

Third Drawing of Selective Service Names, Sept. 1918

Washington D.C.

Left to right, standing:

Gen. Kreger?– V.P. Marshall – Capt. Barbour – Gen. Crowder – Col. Warren -Maj. Kremer?

[Lieutenant Colonel Edward A. Kreger – Vice President Thomas R. Marshall – Captain Lucius B. Barbour – General Enoch H. Crowder – Major Charles B. Warren – Lieutenant Colonel Harry C. Kramer]

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