Ida May Fuller
Ida May Fuller | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 6, 1874 |
| Occupation(s) | Schoolteacher Legal secretary Bookkeeper |
| Known for | First recipient of regular Social Security benefits |
Ida May Fuller (September 6, 1874 – January 27, 1975) was a Vermont schoolteacher and legal secretary. She was most notable as the first beneficiary of recurring monthly Social Security payments.
Early life
Fuller was born at her family's Jewell Brook Road farm in
Career
In 1905, Fuller became a stenographer, legal secretary, and bookkeeper at the Ludlow law firm of John G. Sargent, William W. Stickney, and Paul A. Chase.[8] During Sargent's service as Vermont Attorney General from 1908 to 1912, Fuller was his legal secretary and stenographer as he traveled throughout the state to carry out the duties of his office.[9][10]
In addition to her career as a legal secretary, Fuller was active in Ludlow's Baptist church, including terms as treasurer for missionary activities and church auditor.[11] Fuller was also involved in civic causes, including serving as treasurer for Ludlow residents who pledged funds to pay for Chautauqua lecturers to visit the town each summer.[12] She also took part in local business ventures, including the Ludlow Insurance Agency, of which she was an original incorporator.[13]
Fuller worked under Social Security just shy of three years from the spring of 1937 to November 1939 and paid a total of $24.75 (equivalent to $494 in 2023) in Social Security taxes.[14] She filed her retirement claim on November 4, 1939, aged 65; while visiting Rutland, she stopped at the regional Social Security office to ask about benefits.[15] She later observed: "It wasn't that I expected anything, mind you, but I knew I'd been paying for something called Social Security and I wanted to ask the people in Rutland about it."[15] Her application was transmitted to the Claims Division in Washington for adjudication.[15] After approval, it was sent to the Treasury Department.[15] Claims were grouped in batches of 1,000, and a certification list for each batch was sent to Treasury.[15] Fuller's claim was the first one on the first certification list, so the first Social Security check (check number 00-000-001), dated January 31, 1940, was issued to Fuller in the amount of $22.54 (equivalent to $490 in 2023).[15]
Later life
During her retirement, Fuller collected a total of $22,888.92 (equivalent to $497,793 in 2023) in Social Security benefits.
Fuller never married and had no children.[15] She lived most of her life in Ludlow and spent the last eight years of her life living with her niece, Hazel Perkins, in Brattleboro.[15] Fuller died in Brattleboro on January 27, 1975, and was buried at Pleasant View Cemetery in Ludlow.[1][18]
Notes
References
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ISBN 978-1-4671-4619-7 – via Google Books.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
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- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Myers, Harry J., ed. (1909). American College and Private School Directory. Vol. III. Chicago, IL: Educational Aid Society. pp. 158–159, 164 – via Google Books.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Ida May Fuller's Payroll Tax Contributions". Social Security Administration.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "The First Social Security Beneficiary". Social Security Administration.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tucker, Rebecca Woodbury (2000). Cemetery Inscriptions in Ludlow, Vermont. Ludlow, VT: R. W. Tucker. p. 5 – via Google Books.