Edwin E. Witte

Edwin E. Witte (January 4, 1887 - May 20, 1960) is sometimes called the father of Social Security, 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 President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Biography

Witte was born near Watertown, Wisconsin, and spent most of his life living in Wisconsin. He received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1909 in history and his Ph.D. in economics in 1927. At Wisconsin, he originally worked with Frederick Jackson Turner, and later did his PhD under John R. Commons.Joining the faculty at Wisconsin, he worked with Commons, and Selig Perlman, Robert M. La Follette, Sr., Robert M. La Follette, Jr., E. A. Ross, and Arthur J. Altmeyer (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 Norris 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.

Bibliography

* "The Government in Labor Disputes" (1932)
* "Social Security in America" (1937)

References

* Theron F. Schlabach's biography: "Edwin E. Witte, Cautious Reformer".
* "Industrial and Labor Relations Review" Vol. 14, No.1, October 1960.