Social Welfare History Project jhansan Page 68

Pendergast Machine

Political bosses and their “machine organizations” operating in large American cities at the turn of the century enjoyed strong support among the poor and immigrants, who returned the favor by voting for the bosses’ preferred candidates. Many immigrants saw bosses and political machines as a means to greater enfranchisement. For immigrants and the poor in many large U.S. cities, the political boss represented a source of patronage jobs.

Board of Pardons and Parole

In 1908, shortly after Jacob Billikopf moved to Kansas City to head up the Federation of Jewish Charities, he became involved in a variety of non-sectarian civic projects and philanthropies. Due to the deplorable conditions in penal institutions, the Mayor of Kansas City, Thomas Crittenden, asked Billikopf to serve as Chairman of a Commission and undertake a study of the area’s correctional institutions and submit to him a list of recommendations on ways to improve conditions.

Greenstein, Harry

Harry Greenstein (October 31, 1896 — July 30, 1971): Social Worker, Public Administrator and Leader of Jewish Social Welfare Organizations By Harris Chaiklin, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland School of Social Work In his lifespan, Harry Greenstein crammed three lives into one. His early family history followed a familiar immigrant path. His father’s family…

Brick, Christopher

Christopher Brick is Director and Editor of The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, a research center that collects, annotates, and publishes selected volumes of Eleanor Roosevelt’s political correspondence from 1945-1962. He holds a B.A. in History and International Affairs from The George Washington University, and an M.A. in History from Brown University, where he is currently completing…

Women, Settlements and Poverty

Written by Jerry D. Marx, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of New Hampshire, Department of Social Work. This article uses primary source documents from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s to discuss women’s roles in the reconceptualization of poverty in America. It studies the belief drawn from colonial religion that poverty was a result of personal immorality and traces the changing public perception through the turn of the 20th century.

Billikopf, Jacob

Jacob Billikopf (1882—1950): Social Worker, Labor Arbitrator and Leader in American Jewish Philanthropies By John E. Hansan, Ph.D. Jacob Billikopf was born in Vilna, Russia, on June 1, 1882, to Louis and Glika (Katzenelenbogen) Billikopf. He emigrated to the United States in 1895, and lived in Richmond, Virginia with an older sister, Rebecca Billikopf Tatarsky….