Government relations became a serious issue after public relations practitioners were enlisted following the Great Depression as many people had lost money and professional resources. Public relations became a positive force in rebuilding confidence in American businesses. PR began to seek an understanding of their publics through mutual understanding, and government and business after the depression had the need to build an informed public to invest into. It was during World War I that public relations became a profession when the Creel Committee was established to help the US government gain public support, and most of the earliest public relations practitioners worked for this group.

After World War II, PR grew tremendously, especially in government. During this period, the fields of government relations and public affairs took off. Government offices felt it important to more comprehensively communicate with the American public. Also, organizations and companies created departments for public affairs and government relations because of government legislation in their industry.

Boston University established the first school of public relations (1947). Two years later, one hundred colleges and universities offered classes in the subject. In 1954, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) developed the first code of ethics for the profession.  The society set up a grievance board for code enforcement in 1962 and a program of voluntary accreditation in 1964.