Social Security Administration

The Social Security History section of Social Security Online contains an extensive collection of history-related materials that present both the institutional history of the Social Security Administration and the history of the Social Security program. Agency History includes organizational history, commissioners of the SSA, Social Security board members, cabinet officials, and administrative history. Program History includes historical background and development of Social Security, legislative histories, and an historical chronology. Primary source documents include the text of the 1935 Social Security Act, early speeches and articles, and key early documents as well as numerous reports and studies. A photo gallery, video and audio clips of Social Security History, selections from the LBJ and Nixon tapes, and oral histories supplement the textual materials.