Born May 8, 1891
De Pere, Wisconsin

Died October 17, 1972
Madison, Wisconsin

Administrator

Arthur Altmeyer. AP/Wide World Photo. Reproduced by permission.

"Those who worked closely with Mr. Altmeyer knew that besides his superior intellectual and administrative abilities, he was also a man of sensitivity, of compassion, of integrity, and of stubbornness."

Former secretary of health, education, and welfare Wilbur J. Cohen

Arthur Altmeyer was one of the most influential figures during the development of New Deal social programs. The New Deal was a diverse collection of federal legislation and government-funded programs introduced by the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945; served 1933–45; see entry). The new laws and programs were designed to bring economic relief and recovery to the U.S. economy, which was suffering its most serious downturn ever, the Great Depression of the 1930s. Altmeyer was one of the leading advocates for social insurance. Social insurance—also...