Guides to Social Security History Archives
There are 12 individual Social Security-related collections at the WHS:
- Arthur J. Altmeyer
Arthur Altmeyer was the head of the Social Security organization from its inception until 1953. He is a seminal figure in Social Security and his papers document the early years of the Social Security system in a comprehensive way.
- Robert M. Ball
Robert Ball was a long-time top official at the U.S. Social Security Administration and the head of that organization from 1962 to 1972. His papers are quite voluminous and important in Social Security historical research.
- Wilbur J. Cohen
Wilbur Cohen was the first professional employee of the U.S. Social Security Board in 1935. He was a major figure in Social Security policymaking for more than 50 years.
- Nelson Cruikshank
Nelson Cruikshank was a union official and the head of the Social Security division of the AFL-CIO.
- Robert J. Myers (collection not yet processed)
Robert Myers is an actuary and was for many years the country's top acturial expert on Social Security.
- Physicians Committee
for Health Care for the Aged Through Social Security
The Physicians Committee was pro-Social Security lobbying organization with a special interest in Medicare.
- Paul & Elizabeth Brandeis
Raushenbush
The Raushenbushs were important political figures in the early years of social insurance in the U.S., epecially in the area of unemployment insurance.
- Barkev Sanders
Barkev Sanders was a researcher who specialized in Social Security and health care.
- Save Our Security organization
S.O.S. was a political lobbying group founded in the late 1970s by Wilbur Cohen, Bob Ball and others to lobby for expanded and improved Social Security programs.
- Elizabeth Wickenden
Elizabeth Wickenden was an important New Deal figure whose influence extended into the Johnson Administration and beyond.
- Edwin E. Witte
Edwin Witte was the University of Wisconsin economist who was the Executive Director of the Committee on Economic Security in 1934 which designed the U.S. Social Security system. He papers are voluminous and very important.
- Melvin Wunsch
Melvin Wunsch was an employee of the U.S. Social Security Administration for many years and he kept extensive documentation of his work on Social Security throughout his career.
Information for researchers on doing research at the Wisconsin Historical Society
The materials in the WHS are available to
the public at the Society building in Madison, Wisconsin. Researchers
should check the WHS web site for details about accessing and using the
collections. (Note that while the collections are generally open, some
collections might have access restrictions about which researchers will
have to take note.)
The Social Security Collections are available through the Archives
Reading Room.
Detailed information for researchers can be found on the WSHS web site:
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