Murray Webb Latimer papers
Collection Scope and Content
This collection contains correspondence, actuarial reports, census data, legislative documents, budgets, reports, articles, speeches, bulletins, and drafts. The material covers the years 1930-80. Topics within this collection includes pensions, labor unions, wages, insurance companies in America and Canada, legislation related to health issues and social security. Some of the companies and organizations with data in this collection are the Kaiser Frazer Corporation, Kaiser Motor Corporation, Sandia Corporation, Civil Service Employees Association, AT&T, Washington Post, and National Council of Senior Citizens.
Dates
- Creation: 1930-1980
Creator
- Latimer, Murray Webb (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Boxes 134, 135, and 136 contain recycled library patron cards used to index the correspondence in Series 1. Due to the personal information on the cards, these boxes are restricted. Patrons should contact Special Collections for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
Historical or Biographical Note
Murray Webb Latimer (1901-1985) was a pension expert who helped draft the original Social Security Act and later headed his own industrial relations firm. He is considered one of the founding fathers of the Social Security System.
Latimer was born in Clinton, Mississippi. In 1919, Latimer received a B.A. from Mississippi College and in 1924 an M.B.A. from Harvard. From 1926-33, he was employed as a pension specialist for Industrial Relations Counsellors, Inc in New York. His career with the Federal Government began in 1933. From 1934-46 he served as chairman of the Railroad Retirement Board, the agency which administered the pension, death, unemployment, and sick benefits for the railroads in the United States. In 1943, he was assigned to the State Department as chief executive officer of its emergency office of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations. He also was a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.
His work with the Social Security System came in 1934-35 when he was chair of a special committee of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Committee on Economic Security. He left the government in 1947 after completing a guaranteed annual wage study originally order by President Roosevelt. He opened his own industrial relations consulting firm, where he designed and drafted pension plans for such clients as the United Steelworkers of American and AT&T. He retired in 1983.
Latimer was a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a fellow of the Conference of Actuaries in Public Practice.
Murray Webb Latimer died in 1985 at the age of 84.
Extent
69.5 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Collection contains correspondence, actuarial reports, census data, legislative documents, budgets, reports, articles, speeches, bulletins, and drafts from 1930 to 1980. Topics within this collection includes pensions, labor unions, wages, insurance companies in America and Canada, legislation related to health issues and social security. Some of the companies and organizations with data in this collection are the Kaiser Frazer Corporation, Kaiser Motor Corporation, Sandia Corporation, Civil Service Employees Association, AT&T, Washington Post, and National Council of Senior Citizens.
Collection Organization
Organized into six series: Papers, Atomic Energy Commission, Railroad Retirement Board, Publications, Tabular studies, and Railroad companies.
Collection note
Please note: series 5 and 6 are not processed.
Subject
- U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (Organization)
- United States. Railroad Retirement Board (Organization)
- National Council of Senior Citizens (Organization)
- Sandia Corporation (Organization)
- United Steelworkers of America (Organization)
- Western Conference of Teamsters (Organization)
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company (Organization)
- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company (Organization)
- American Psychiatric Association (Organization)
- Latimer, Murray Webb (Person)
- Industrial Relations Counselors, inc. (Organization)
- Kaiser Motors Corporation (Organization)
- Bethlehem Steel Company (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Murray Webb Latimer papers, 1930-1980
- Status
- Partially Processed
- Author
- Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
- Date
- 2005
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository
George Washington University Gelman Library
2130 H Street NW
Washington DC 20052 United States of America
speccoll@gwu.edu
