Longtime readers of this column will recall that a Watertown native played a key role in the formation of Social Security.
The Associated Press carried a detailed story Friday about the involvement of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the shaping of that bill, and it noted that the key author of the Social Security legislation was Professor Edwin Witte of the UW staff. The article was written because we are approaching the 70th anniversary of that legislation. The article was accompanied by a photo which showed President Roosevelt in the middle, Arthur Altmeyer on the left, and Witte on the right. It was Altmeyer who suggested to President Roosevelt that Witte was the man for the job and ultimately worked closely with Witte in the formation of the Social Security legislation.