Arthur Flemming
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Arthur Sherwood Flemming (June 12, 1905 - September 7, 1996) was United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare between 1958 - 1961 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Fleming was an important force in the shaping of Social Security policy for more than four decades. He also served as president of the University of Oregon and Ohio Wesleyan University.
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[edit] Early life and education
Born in Kingston, New York, Flemming was diagnosed with polio at the age of six. He managed to make a full recovery by age eight. Flemming was a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, class of 1927, and a member of the Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity.
[edit] Federal government career
Dr. Flemming's government career began in 1939 when U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to the U.S. Civil Service Commission. He was a member of the Hoover Commission which studied the organization of the federal government in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Flemming was the Chairman of the White House Conference on Aging in 1971 and was appointed U.S. Commissioner on Aging by President Nixon. Flemming was also a co-founder of the Save Our Security coalition, a Social Security advocacy group. He was the recipient of two Presidential Medals of Freedom, one in 1957 from President Eisenhower and the second one in 1994 from President Bill Clinton. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala said of Flemming: "He was one of the great intellects of social policy, combining extraordinary knowledge with a rare gift for policy-making."
[edit] University president
Flemming served as president of Ohio Wesleyan University. He was the university's first president to be an alumnus and a layman (non-ordained minister). Having served in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, his Wesleyan inauguration at the June commencement of 1949 drew many famous speakers and celebrities. From 1961 to 1968, Flemming served as University of Oregon president. During his popular and controversial tenure, the number of students grew from 8,000 to 14,000, and federal funding that the University received rose dramatically. Flemming was responsible for the addition of the School of Community Services and Public Affairs, the Pine Mountain Observatory and the building of various laboratories on campus. He defended the right of Communist Party USA leader Gus Hall to speak on campus and also convinced Tom Autzen to contribute money toward the building of Autzen Stadium.
Flemming died of acute renal failure at a retirement home in Alexandria, Virginia and is buried at the Montrepose Cemetery in his hometown of Kingston, New York.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Arthur Flemming, from the United States Social Security Administration
- Oral History Interview with Arthur S. Flemming
- Paul Douglas Ethics in Government Award
| Preceded by Marion Bayard Folsom |
United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare 1958–1961 |
Succeeded by Abraham A. Ribicoff |
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