Francis Townsend
Francis Townsend | |
---|---|
Omaha Medical College | |
Occupation(s) | Physician, public health officer |
Known for | Townsend Plan |
Spouse | Wilhelmina "Minnie" Bogue |
Francis Everett Townsend (/ˈtaʊnzənd/; January 13, 1867 – September 1, 1960) was an American physician and political activist in California. In 1933, he devised an old-age pension scheme to help alleviate the Great Depression. Known as the "Townsend Plan", this proposal would pay every person over age 60 $200 per month, with the requirement it all be spent quickly. It was never enacted but the popularity of the Plan influenced Congress to start the Social Security system, which involved much smaller amounts. The Plan was organized by real estate salesman Robert Clements, who made Townsend only a figurehead while the Plan expanded to thousands of clubs in many states. Townsend was born just outside Fairbury, Illinois, where he is memorialized by a post office named in his honor.
Life and career
Francis Everett Townsend was born the second of six children on January 13, 1867, in Fairbury, Illinois.
After the war ended in 1918, Townsend moved to Long Beach, California, to run a dry ice factory.[1] After that business quickly failed, Townsend worked for real estate agent Robert Earl Clements in Midway City, California.[1] Clements later masterminded the Townsend Plan.[1] In 1930, at the start of the Great Depression, Townsend became a Long Beach city public health officer at age 63, but lost his job three years later.[1]
Townsend died in Los Angeles on September 1, 1960.[2] He is buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park in Compton, California.[3][4]
Townsend Plan
The Townsend Plan proposed that every person over 60 be paid $200 per month. The Old-Age Revolving Pension fund was to be supported by a 2% national sales tax aiming to stimulate the economy.[5]
There were three requirements for beneficiaries under the scheme:
- they had to be retired;
- they had to be "free from habitual criminality";
- they had to spend the money within 30 days (to stimulate the economy).[5]
Promoting the plan
In September 1933, Townsend wrote a letter to the editor of the local newspaper (the
After the adoption of Social Security and Townsend's death
The movement continued beyond Townsend's death in 1960.
Investigation
A Congressional committee was established in February 1936 to investigate Townsend. One of the findings was that the Townsend organisation had raised over a million dollars and that Townsend had received a salary of $12,000 for the previous 12 months.[8]
While being questioned Townsend became angry at the questioning and stormed out. He was prosecuted for contempt of Congress and sentenced to 30 days in prison. However, in 1938, just as he entered jail to serve his sentence, he was granted a pardon by President Roosevelt.[8]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 0691124736. Archivedfrom the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
- The Associated Press. September 2, 1960. Archivedfrom the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ Wesler, Ariel (May 28, 2021). "Compton woman fights to take ownership of Woodlawn Memorial Park". SpectrumNews1.com. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ Brown, Kailyn (2021-05-16). "In Compton, the fate of a cemetery hangs in the balance". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ a b Larry Dewitt (December 2001). "Research Note #17: The Townsend Plan's Pension Scheme". Research Notes & Special Studies by the Historian's Office, Social Security Administration. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- ^ David Dayen (October 29, 2013). "How a Frustrated Blogger Made Expanding Social Security a Respectable Idea". Pacific Standard. Archived from the original on May 24, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- ^ The Associated Press. February 23, 1978. Archivedfrom the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ a b "Francis Townsend". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
Further reading
- Amenta, Edwin. When Movements Matter: The Townsend Plan and the Rise of Social Security (Princeton University Press, 2006)
- Dorman, Morgan J. Age before booty; an explanation of the Townsend plan (1936) online
External links
- US Social Security Administration, "The Townsend Plan Movement," Social Security History.