Ida May Fuller was born in Ludlow, Vermont in 1874, a
descendant of passengers on the Mayflower. After graduating from Black River
Academy (Calvin Coolidge was one of her classmates) she worked as a school
teacher. Ida May learned shorthand and bookkeeping (the only word I know with three
consecutive double letters) in Boston; then she became a legal secretary for
Sargent, Stickney and Chase. When Sargent became Vermont’s attorney general, she
helped him carry out the duties of his office. Ida May was active in her local
Baptist church, where she served as auditor and treasurer. She never married or
had any children. Social Security came into effect three years before she
retired. During that time, she paid a total of $24.75 in Social Security tax.
January 31, 1940, Ida May became the first American to receive Social Security:
check number 00-000-001 for $22.54. She died at age 100, having collected a
total of $22,888.92 in benefits.
No comments:
Post a Comment