Between 1926 and 1929 two coin bills and five medal bills were introduced in Congress that called for pieces "in commemoration of the services, sacrifices, and patriotism of the American women of all wars in which the United States has participated, which was the inspiration of their sons and daughters in carrying on their part in the various conflicts."
The process began in March 1926 (69th Congress, First Session) when the first coin bill was introduced in the Senate by Andrieus Aristieus Jones (D-NM). The bill was immediately referred to the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency. It called for an impressive mintage of up to five million (!) coins for the benefit of the War Memorial Mothers Association of New Mexico ("Association"). The bill's language allowed for multiple Mint facilities to strike the coins (i.e., P/D/S sets were possible) and allowed the Association to place coin orders of any size whenever it desired them without a specified expiration date. Based on the degree of openendedness it incorporated, the bill appears to have been modeled after the bill for the Oregon Memorial Trail Half Dollar. The bill was never reported out of Committee, however.
The War Memorial Mothers Association was a national organization with local/state chapters, similar to organizations such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). It was started by mothers who had given sons and/or daughters to World War I.
(Note: The sons/daughters needn't have been killed in the War, just served.) The national organization sought a Congressional Charter of Incorporation with proposed legislation in 1924. (By 1924, the organization had approximately 15,000 members.) A Hearing was held and reported favorably. After a positive consideration by the House and Senate, the bill calling for the incorporation was signed into law on February 24, 1925 by President Calvin Coolidge.
The organization's purpose:
"That the objects of the corporation shall be to keep alive and develop the spirit that prompted world service; to maintain the ties of fellowship born of that service, and to assist and further any patriotic work; to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, State, and Nation; to work for the welfare of the Army and Navy; to assist in any way in their power men and women who served and were wounded or incapacitated in the World War; to foster and promote friendship and understanding between America and the Allies in the World War."
Based on this ("wounded or incapacitated"), it is clear that that a strong link between the War Mothers group and the ongoing health of US service men and women was intended.
The New Mexico chapter of the Mothers Association was an ongoing local chapter of the national organization at the time of the coin proposal with a successful history of raising funds via dinners, church initiatives, benefits, etc. The proposed commemorative coin would have given the chapter's efforts a sizable boost. One example of its local philanthropy: it was engaged with the Veterans Administration (VA) and its plans for healthcare in New Mexico. The Association donated 516 acres of land to the VA for the construction of the VA Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The hospital was dedicated on August 14, 1932 and admitted its first patient on August 22, 1932.
Though the first effort failed, another coin proposal was introduced - this time in the House - in January 1927 (69th Congress, Second Session). The new bill was introduced by Leonidas Carstarphen Dyer (R-MO); it was a companion/duplicate of the Senate bill introduced by Jones in 1926. Upon its introduction, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures. As with the prior Senate bill, it never was reported out of Committee and died for lack of action.
Undaunted by the failure of its coin bills, the New Mexico chapter carried on and was the named beneficiary in five commemorative medal bills (three in the Senate, two in the House). The bills were all unsuccessful, but I'll leave their story to another post.
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 11/26/2022 12:53 pm
