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Ball, Robert M.

Robert M. Ball: Social Security Pioneer A Personal Remembrance by Larry DeWitt   Editor’s Note: Larry DeWitt is the public historian at the U.S. Social Security Administration. He is the co-editor of Social Security: A Documentary History (Washington, D.C., Congressional Quarterly Press, 2008). Late in the night of January 29, 2008 Robert M. Ball, a leading figure…

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Balch, Emily Greene

Emily Greene Balch (1867-1961): Social Worker, Reformer, Peace Activist and Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, 1946 By Catherine A. Paul Emily Greene Balch was an American economist, sociologist, and pacifist. She was born January 8, 1867 in Boston, Massachusetts to a prominent family, and she attended Bryn Mawr College from 1886 until 1889, where she…

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Baker, Edith M.

Edith M. Baker (1885-1978) — Leader in Medical Social Work   Edith M. Baker was the first medical consultant for the U.S. Childrens Bureau. She was a leader in medical social work as well as in the American Association of Medical Social Workers, for which she served as president from 1929 to 1931, and as…

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Altmeyer, Arthur J.

Arthur J. Altmeyer: Architect of the Social Security Administration and President of the National Conference on Social Work By Larry W. DeWitt, Historian, U. S. Social Security Administration Introduction Arthur J. Altmeyer was the man that president Franklin Roosevelt informally referred to as “Mr. Social Security,” and Altmeyer was the key policy and administrative figure in the…

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Anthony, Susan B.

Susan B. Anthony By Catherine A. Paul Susan Brownell Anthony was both February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts and died March 13, 1906 in Rochester New York (Harper, 1998). Anthony helped to wage the battle for suffrage across multiple arenas, including voting booths, religious institutions, workplaces, and homes, and at the intersection of many issues, including…

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Andrews, John Bertram

  John Bertram Andrews (1880–1943): Social Reformer, Labor Expert, Economist and Author   John Bertram Andrews was an American economist who studied and advocated for progressive labor reform. Born in South Wayne, Wisconsin on August 2, 1880, Andrews studied history and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and at Dartmouth College. In 1909, Andrews became…

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Anderson, Mary

Mary Anderson (1872-1964): Advocate for Working Women, Labor Organizer and First Director of the Women’s Bureau in the U.S. Department of Labor.

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Anderson, Joseph P.

Joseph P. Anderson (1910-1979) –  Settlement Worker, Administrator and First Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)   Due to his extraordinary vision and distinguished leadership, Joseph Anderson’s pioneering work achieved lasting results. The formation of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) are,…

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Anderson, Delwin M.

Delwin M. Anderson (1916 – 2007 ) –  Director of Social Work Services, U.S. Veterans Administration and NASW Social Work Pioneer   Delwin M. (Del) Anderson was director of the Social Work Service of the Department of Medicine and Surgery in the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) from 1964 to 1974. During this time he was…

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Abbott, Grace

Grace Abbott (1878 – 1939) – Social Work Pioneer, Reformer, Hull House Resident and Chief of the Children’s Bureau. Article by John Sorensen, Founding Director of the Abbott Sisters Project

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