Mary Williams Dewson

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Mary Williams Dewson being sworn in as a member of the Social Security Board, Washington, D.C., 1937.

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History & Society

Mary Williams Dewson

American economist

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 14, 2024 • Article History

Mary Williams Dewson

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Category: History & Society

Born:: February 18, 1874, Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.

Died:: October 22, 1962, Castine, Maine (aged 88)

Political Affiliation:: Democratic Party

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Mary Williams Dewson (born February 18, 1874, Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.—died October 22, 1962, Castine, Maine) American economist and political organizer, closely associated with the political campaigns and administrative programs of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Dewson graduated from Wellesley (Massachusetts) College in 1897. For three years she worked as a research economist for the Woman’s Educational and Industrial Union of Boston, after which she became superintendent of the Massachusetts Girls’ Parole Department (1900–12). In 1911 she served also as secretary of the Commission on Minimum Wage Legislation for Massachusetts. After time spent dairy farming (1912–17), she returned to public service ...(100 of 344 words)

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