History of the Peace Corps Timeline

Until about 1967, applicants had to pass a placement test of 'general aptitude' covering knowledge of various skills needed for Peace Corps assignments and language aptitude.

Joining the Peace Corps secured draft deferment, agreed upon at its creation in 1961, though as the Vietnam War continued several deferments were not granted and volunteers were forced to end their service early.

Blessed by Reverend Russell Fuller of Memorial Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, on August 28, 1961, the first group of volunteers left for Ghana and Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania).

The program was formally authorized by Congress on September 22, 1961, and within two years over 7,300 volunteers were serving in 44 countries.

On October 13, 1961, a postcard from volunteer Margery Jane Michelmore in Nigeria to a friend in the U.S., describing poor conditions bluntly, became public and sparked protests in Nigeria—an early test for the young agency.

President Kennedy, speaking at the White House on June 22, 1962, acknowledged that Operation Crossroads Africa was the basis for the development of the Peace Corps during remarks to student volunteers.

The Peace Corps began recruiting in July 1962; Bob Hope recorded radio and television announcements hailing the program, helping draw widespread public attention.

An article in Geotimes, a trade publication, reviewed the Peace Corps program in 1963, with a follow-up history of Peace Corps geoscientists appearing in that publication in 2004.

This number increased to 15,000 in June 1966—the largest number in the organization's history—with its inaugural year having 900 volunteers in 16 countries and peaking at 15,556 volunteers in 52 countries in 1966.

In 1967, Peace Corps director Jack Vaughn made a case against drafting Peace Corps Volunteers to the Presidential Appeals Board, but was not successful in securing deferments for volunteers.

Bruce Murray, a volunteer in Chile, wrote a letter in 1967 protesting the war and sent it to the New York Times, which did not publish it. Murray sued in 1969 and won, and the Peace Corps began to tolerate more forms of volunteer protest, including volunteers in Bolivia criticizing the war in the PCV publication Pues and a 1970 protest outside the US embassy in Afghanistan during Vice President Agnew's visit.

In 1976, Deborah Gardner was found murdered in her home in Tonga, where she was serving in the Peace Corps—a case that drew international attention to volunteer safety.

In the Reagan Administration, in 1986, an article in the Multinational Monitor looked critically at the Peace Corps, questioning aspects of its work and impact.

In December 2003, a report by the Brookings Institution praised the Peace Corps but proposed changes to improve its effectiveness and reach.

Image source: Brookings Institution

A Harvard International Review article from 2007 proposed to expand the Peace Corps, revisit its mission, and equip it with new technology.

In 2009, Casey Frazee, who was sexually assaulted while serving in South Africa, created First Response Action, an advocacy group for a stronger Peace Corps response for volunteers who are survivors or victims of physical and sexual violence.

In 2010, concerns about volunteer safety were illustrated by a report, compiled from official public documents, listing hundreds of violent crimes against volunteers since 1989; in 62% of more than 2,900 assault cases since 1990, the victim was identified as being alone.

At a meeting of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2011, Peace Corps volunteers shared experiences of violence and sexual assault; between 2000 and 2009 there had been several rape cases, with about 22 women sexually assaulted each year. In 2009, 69% of victims were women, 88% under 30, and 82% Caucasian.

Image source: United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Criticism of how the Peace Corps responded to sexual assaults culminated in the appointment of Kellie Green as the agency's first Director of the Office of Victims Advocacy in 2011. She was pushed out in April 2015, prompting a Change.org petition demanding her reinstatement among former volunteers in December 2015.

Christopher Hedrick outlined 'The New Peace Corps' in a Yale Journal of International Affairs essay published in 2013, proposing reforms for the agency's future direction.

Image source: Yale Journal of International Affairs

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention released the song 'Who Needs the Peace Corps?' on their 1968 album We're Only in It for the Money, offering a satirical take on volunteer culture.

Image source: We're Only in It for the Money

The 2006 documentary film Death of Two Sons, directed by Micah Schaffer, juxtaposes the deaths of Amadou Diallo, gunned down by New York City police, and Peace Corps volunteer Jesse Thyne, who lived with Amadou's family in Guinea and died in a car crash there.

Image source: Sons of Anarchy

Jimi Sir, released in 2007, is a documentary portrait of volunteer James Parks' experiences as a high school science, math and English teacher during the last 10 weeks of his service in Nepal.

Image source: Jimi Manuwa

In July 1971, President Richard Nixon, an opponent of the program, brought the Peace Corps under the umbrella agency ACTION, reducing its independent status.

Image source: Federal government of the United States

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter made the Peace Corps fully autonomous through an executive order, restoring much of its independence lost under ACTION.

This independent status was further secured by 1981 legislation making the organization an independent federal agency.

The Federal Labor Relations Agency certified the Union on May 11, 1983; non-supervisory domestic employees are represented by AFSCME Local 3548.

Following budget cuts in 1989, the number of volunteers declined to 5,100, though subsequent increases in funding led to renewed growth into the 21st century.

The current collective bargaining agreement between the Peace Corps and AFSCME Local 3548 became effective on April 21, 1995.

Image source: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

Peace Corps Response, formerly named the Crisis Corps, was created by Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan in 1996, building on Emergency Response Networks that emerged in response to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

On November 19, 2007, Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschetter changed Crisis Corps's name to Peace Corps Response, reflecting its expanded short-term assignment model.

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed director Loret Miller Ruppe, who initiated business-related programs to expand the agency's mission.

Image source: Loret Miller Ruppe

For the 2004 fiscal year, Congress increased the budget to US$325 million, US$30 million above that of 2003 but US$30 million below the president's request.

Audrey Thixton from Tulsa, Oklahoma volunteered at 75 in 2008, serving in Armenia, making her the oldest volunteer since Muriel Humphrey-era records; older volunteers have grown from 1% in 1961 to 5% today.

As part of an economic stimulus package in 2008, President Barack Obama proposed to double the size of the Peace Corps; however, as of 2010, the amount requested was insufficient to reach this goal by 2011.

Image source: Barack Obama

The number of applicants to the Peace Corps declined steadily from a high of 15,384 in 2009 to 10,118 in 2013, prompting reforms to streamline recruitment.

Congress raised the 2010 appropriation from the US$373 million requested by the President to US$400 million, and proposed bills would raise this further for 2011 and 2012.

By its 50th anniversary in 2011, there were over 8,500 volunteers serving in 77 countries, marking renewed growth from the low point of 1989.

The Peace Corps launched its initiative to engage volunteers in malaria control efforts in 2011, mobilizing volunteers across affected countries in Africa.

Image source: Christopher Hedrick

Prior to 2014, the application process took about a year; reforms shortened it significantly, and applicants are advised to apply six to nine months before they want to leave.

As of 2015, more than 240,000 Americans had joined the Peace Corps and served in 142 countries since the agency's founding.

In 2015, the organization partnered with USAID to implement First Lady Michelle Obama's Let Girls Learn initiative, engaging volunteers in expanding girls' education worldwide.

Image source: Michelle Obama

On January 3, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Josephine 'Jody' Olsen as the 20th director of the Peace Corps. Olsen served as a volunteer in Tunisia (1966–1968), Country Director in Togo (1979–1981), acting director in 2009, and deputy director from 2002 to 2009. She left office on January 20, 2021.

Image source: Jody Olsen

Carol Spahn served as acting director from January 20, 2021, until November 16, 2021, and CEO from November 2021. President Biden nominated her in April 2022, and she was confirmed by the Senate on December 13, 2022. Spahn left office on January 20, 2025, along with Deputy Director David White, Jr.

Image source: Carol Spahn

In a historic first, all Peace Corps volunteers worldwide were withdrawn from their host countries on March 15, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image source: COVID-19 pandemic

In June 2020, the Peace Corps ended its programs in China, concluding decades of volunteer service there amid shifting U.S.–China relations.