Edwin E. Witte (January 4, 1887 - May 20, 1960) is sometimes called the father of
Social SecuritySocial Security in the United States currently refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program....
, because he developed the original plan for Social Security as the executive director of the President's Committee on Economic Security in 1934, under
United States PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Witte was born near
Watertown, WisconsinWatertown is a city in Dodge and Jefferson Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Most of the city's population is in Jefferson County. Division Street, several blocks north of downtown, marks the county line....
, and spent most of his life living in Wisconsin. He received his B.A. from the
University of Wisconsin–MadisonThe University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in 1909 in history and his Ph.D.
Edwin E. Witte (January 4, 1887 - May 20, 1960) is sometimes called the father of
Social SecuritySocial Security in the United States currently refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program....
, because he developed the original plan for Social Security as the executive director of the President's Committee on Economic Security in 1934, under
United States PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Biography
Witte was born near
Watertown, WisconsinWatertown is a city in Dodge and Jefferson Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Most of the city's population is in Jefferson County. Division Street, several blocks north of downtown, marks the county line....
, and spent most of his life living in Wisconsin. He received his B.A. from the
University of Wisconsin–MadisonThe University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in 1909 in history and his Ph.D. in economics in 1927. At Wisconsin, he originally worked with
Frederick Jackson TurnerFrederick Jackson Turner was an American historian in the early 20th century. He is best known for The Significance of the Frontier in American History.-Early life, education, and career:...
, and later did his PhD under
John R. CommonsJohn Rogers Commons was a well-known institutional economist and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.-Biography:...
.
Joining the faculty at Wisconsin, he worked with Commons, and
Selig PerlmanSelig Perlman was an economist and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.-Early life and education:Perlman was born in Białystok in Congress Poland in 1888...
,
Robert M. La Follette, Sr.Robert Marion La Follette, Sr. nicknamed "Fighting Bob" La Follette was an American politician who served as a U.S. Congressman, the 20th Governor of Wisconsin , and Republican Senator from Wisconsin...
,
Robert M. La Follette, Jr.Robert Marion La Follette, Jr. was an American senator from Wisconsin from 1925 to 1947, the son of Robert M. La Follette, Sr., the brother of Philip La Follette, and the brother-in-law of the playwright George Middleton.- Early life and career :La Follette was born in Madison, Wisconsin...
, E. A. Ross, and
Arthur J. AltmeyerArthur J. Altmeyer was the United States Commissioner of Social Security from 1946 to 1953, and chairman of the Social Security Board from 1937 to 1946.-Education:...
(who became the chairman of the Social Security Board) who were developing the Wisconsin progressive movement and working on public policy issues of the day.
In addition to guiding the Social Security act through the United States Congress,
Witte also worked on other labor legislation including (with
George William NorrisGeorge William Norris was a U.S. leader of progressive and liberal causes in Congress. He represented the state of Nebraska in the United States Senate from 1913 until 1943....
and Fiorello H. La Guardia) the Norris La Guardia anti-injunction act.
He was the president of the Industrial Relations Research Association in 1948, and in 1955, he became the president of the American Economics Association.