Social Security Pioneers

Arthur S. Flemming

Arthur S. Flemming
(1905 - 1996)

Arthur S. Flemming was Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare in the Eisenhower Administration and an important force in the shaping of Social Security policy for more than four decades. Dr. Flemming's government career began in 1939 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to the U.S. Civil Service Commission. He was a member of the Hoover Commission which studied the organization of the federal government in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The President of three universities, Dr. Flemming was the Chairman of the White House Conference on Aging in 1971 and was appointed U.S. Commissioner on Aging by President Nixon. Dr. Flemming was also a co-founder of the Save Our Security coalition, a Social Security advocacy group. He was the recipient of two Presidential Medals of Freedom, one in 1957 from President Eisenhower and the second one bestowed on him in 1994 by President Clinton. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, said of Flemming: "He was one of the great intellects of social policy, combining extraordinary knowledge with a rare gift for policy-making."

Full speech by Arthur Flemming at 25th anniversary of Social Security Act ceremony held in Baltimore, MD 8/15/60. (approx. 20 min. speech) [In RealAudio format]