{"id":104364,"date":"2022-03-24T09:38:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-24T13:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/?p=104364"},"modified":"2026-02-27T14:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T19:23:18","slug":"object-13-veterans-administration-seal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/object-13-veterans-administration-seal\/","title":{"rendered":"Object 13: Veterans’ Administration Seal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Evolution<\/a>
Evolution of the seal of the Veterans’ Administration, the independent federal agency created in 1930 to manage benefits and medical services for Veterans of all wars. Left to right: Seal of VA\u2019s immediate predecessor, the Veterans\u2019 Bureau, established in 1921; first version of Veterans\u2019 Administration seal; revised version adopted in 1946. (NVAHC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On July 21, 1930, President Herbert C. Hoover signed\u00a0Executive Order 5398<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0establishing the Veterans\u2019 Administration (VA), the forerunner of today\u2019s Department of Veterans Affairs. Hoover\u2019s order consolidated three separate government organizations serving Veterans: the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers<\/strong><\/a>, the Bureau of Pensions<\/strong><\/a>, and the Veterans\u2019 Bureau<\/strong><\/a>. For the first time in the nation\u2019s history, a single, independent federal agency became responsible for managing benefits and medical services for Veterans of all wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The merger came on the heels of a 1921 executive order that combined the programs for World War I Veterans into the Veterans\u2019 Bureau. Two elements of the now defunct Veterans\u2019 Bureau became integral parts of the new Veterans\u2019 Administration: its director, Brig. Gen. Frank T. Hines<\/a><\/strong>, and its seal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hines became head of the\u00a0Veterans\u2019 Bureau in 1923<\/strong><\/a>, replacing its scandal-plagued first director, Charles R. Forbes, who resigned under duress. He earned high marks for restoring the bureau\u2019s reputation and overseeing the expansion of its network of Veterans\u2019 hospitals. When the time came to appoint someone to run the newly established Veterans\u2019 Administration, Hoover did not hesitate to select Hines. He was sworn in on July 23, 1930, as the agency\u2019s first Administrator of Veterans Affairs. Hines remained in that position for the next fifteen years, a period of continuous service unmatched by any of his successors.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"VA<\/a>
VA Administrator Frank T. Hines testifying before Congress in 1939. (Library of Congress)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

One of his earlier, if largely ceremonial, acts as Administrator was to approve a modified version of the Veterans\u2019 Bureau seal for VA use. Designed by Chief Clerk William C. Black and drawn by Nancy P. Davis, the VA seal retained most of the elements of the bureau\u2019s seal. The outer portion of the circular seal kept the word \u201cVETERANS\u201d and replaced \u201cBUREAU\u201d with \u201cADMINISTRATION\u201d in a belt motif with the buckle at bottom containing the year of the VA\u2019s creation, 1930. While the letters \u201cU.S.\u201d were removed from the bar atop the shield in the inner circular section, an eagle symbolizing American strength and freedom still stands with wings outstretched above the shield with thirteen vertical stripes, representing the first thirteen colonies. Draped on either side of the shield are the U.S. flag and the Union Jack. Crossed behind the shield are a rifle and anchor, signifying the military and naval services, with the bottom of the anchor slightly overlapping the bottom left of the shield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This version of the VA seal is referenced in a letter dated July 26, 1935, from Administrator Hines to Henry S. Ashurst, Chairman, Senate Committee on the Judiciary supporting the draft bill, \u201cOfficial Seal for the United States Veterans\u2019 Administration.\u201d This law would entitle the seal to \u201cjudicial cognizance,\u201d providing the statutory authority needed \u201cin certifying and authorizing any records of the Administration for production in court or elsewhere, where certification or authentication of such records is deemed essential.\u201d The bill passed on January 31, 1936.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1946, the year after Hines\u2019 retirement, the design of the VA seal was modified to remove the flags. The belt motif was also removed and the anchor repositioned. This version continued to be used until the Veterans\u2019 Administration was elevated to cabinet-level status in October 1988 and became the Department of Veterans Affairs, effective March 15, 1989<\/strong><\/a>. The department scrapped the old seal and adopted a new one based on the design submitted by David Gregory, an employee at the Indianapolis VA Medical Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On July 21, 1930, President Herbert C. Hoover signed Executive Order 5398 establishing the Veterans\u2019 Administration (VA), the forerunner of today\u2019s Department of Veterans Affairs. Soon Adminstrator Frank Hines had created a new Veterans’ Administration seal to go with the new agency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":117255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[108,28,24,32],"class_list":["post-104364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-100-objects","tag-pension-bureau","tag-veterans-administration","tag-veterans-bureau","tag-world-war-i"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/object-13-veterans-administration-seal\/","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Object 13: Veterans’ Administration Seal","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/object-13-veterans-administration-seal\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/object-13-veterans-administration-seal\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/03\/Object-5-Featured-Image-Recovered.webp?w=300","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/03\/Object-5-Featured-Image-Recovered.webp"},"articleSection":"History of VA in 100 Objects","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Department of Veterans Affairs (jdt)"}],"creator":["Department of Veterans Affairs (jdt)"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA History","logo":""},"keywords":["pension bureau","veterans administration","veterans bureau","world war i"],"dateCreated":"2022-03-24T13:38:00Z","datePublished":"2022-03-24T13:38:00Z","dateModified":"2026-02-27T19:23:18Z"},"rendered":"