Daily AncestorSelective Service Act of 1917
The Selective Service Act of 1917 was the federal law of May 18, 1917, that created the World War I draft and the local boards that ran it.
Passed on May 18, 1917, the act let the President raise a national army by conscription. The Selective Service System, under the Provost Marshal General, registered men, classified them and sent those called to training camps. Local boards in each county or city did the daily work.
Unlike the Civil War draft, the law banned substitutes and buying a release from service. There were three registrations: June 5, 1917; June 5, 1918, with a supplement on August 24, 1918; and September 12, 1918, for men aged 18 through 45. The registration cards survive, but they are not service records and end when a man reported to camp.
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Daily Ancestor. "Selective Service Act of 1917." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/military/selective-service-act-of-1917. Last checked 2026-10-12.