The Arthur Joseph Altmeyer papers were received in the Archives in two parts: the Original Collection, dated 1914-1964, received in 1964; and Additions, dated 1904-1973, received between 1973 and 1975. The original collection was assigned call number Wis Mss WP and the additions call number Mss 400.
Part 1: Original Collection, 1914-1964 (Wis Mss WP)
With the exception of his Bachelor's thesis (1914), three papers on workmen's compensation prior to 1933, and several speeches and articles, this part of the collection deals entirely with Mr. Altmeyer's work with the federal government and particularly his administration of the Social Security Act. Material concerning social security includes the U.S. Employment Service, unemployment compensation, public assistance, and old age and survivor's insurance (OASI).
Before presenting the papers to the Historical Society, Mr. Altmeyer grouped them according to the committee, commission, or agency with which he worked; and he segregated materials relating to particular government personnel such as the president or the administrator of the Federal Security Administration. At his request, these groupings, with their descriptive headings, have been left as he made them. It will be noted in the contents list below that they generally follow a chronological arrangement. Papers within each folder are in order by month.
Mr. Altmeyer provided advice for social legislation and drafts for social security messages and speeches for both President Roosevelt and President Truman; and was in communication with Administrators Paul V. McNutt, Oscar Ewing, and Oveta Culp Hobby when each headed the Federal Security Agency. On January 4, 1936, Franklin Roosevelt wrote him concerning the need for further research on risks to economic security arising out of illness (Box 2, Health Insurance Report); and on August 22 of the same year the president wrote him his views on the extent to which the Social Security Board should answer attacks on social legislation (Box 2, President Roosevelt). Again, on April 20, 1938, Roosevelt suggested ways for improving and extending the Social Security Act; and in May, 1945, President Truman wrote of financing provisions for the Act (Box 3). In general, however, communications are from the office of the president rather than from the president himself.
Correspondence with the presidents is usually in the form of memoranda exchanged with presidential assistants such as Marvin McIntyre, Stephen Early, James Roosevelt, or John R. Steeleman; or in the form of drafts of letters Mr. Altmeyer prepared for the president and the FSA administrator in helping them to answer inquiries concerning the social security system. One such inquiry, for example, is a telegram to Roosevelt, January 7, 1935, from Governor Philip F. La Follette and Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr. regarding the federal tax measure for unemployment insurance in relation to state laws, forwarded to Mr. Altmeyer from the office of Secretary of Labor Perkins.
With a few exceptions, there is very little correspondence between Dr. Altmeyer and other experts outside of government offices and Congress. In July, 1940, he received letters from Professor Edwin E. Witte advising him on an unemployment insurance plank Altmeyer prepared for the Democratic platform in that year; and in August, 1952, he wrote to Isador Lubin outlining information for a speech to be given by Adlai Stevenson in the presidential campaign (Box 4, Election platforms and related data). In May and June of 1948 he and Dr. Witte exchanged letters concerning the Appropriation Act of 1948 and its effect on social security (Box 9). These are examples of correspondence, but in general the papers illustrate proposals and arguments advanced in connection with social legislation and administration of the social security system as shown through interagency correspondence and memoranda, drafts for bills and amendments, and suggestions for speeches and presidential messages.
What appears to be an almost complete file of Altmeyer articles and speeches is contained in the first eleven volumes and in Box 10. Volumes 12 and 13 contain public statements and press releases from 1934 to 1952.
Part 2: Additions, 1904-1973 (Mss 400)
The papers in Part 2 are organized into three groupings: Correspondence, a Subject File, and Personal Papers.
The Correspondence falls into two categories: General and Specific. The General Correspondence consists of personal and miscellaneous letters sent and received by the Altmeyers. There are many gaps in the early part of the chronology and most of the letters are dated after 1960. Where there are a significant number of letters on a subject, they have been arranged chronologically under a subject heading and filed under the Specific Correspondence heading.
The Subject File comprises most of Part 2 of the collection. It includes the correspondence, data, clippings, speeches, notes, reports, and publications on specific subjects that Altmeyer saved, either for reference or for use in articles and speeches. In many cases the contents and titles of the folders are as he left them. The Subject File is arranged under eleven headings which are in alphabetical order. The research papers on health insurance under “National Health Insurance” are by Peter Corning of Columbia University, Monte Poen of Northern Arizona, and Isidore Falk, Professor Emeritus of Public Health at Yale. Corning's paper is the out-growth of Columbia University's oral history interviews with Altmeyer and Poen's is his doctoral dissertation. Falk's was prepared for the Committee for the National Health Insurance. “Speeches” consist of vague reference material, a few outlines, and a collection of Altmeyer speeches, ranging from one given at his grade school graduation to several national radio broadcasts. Most of the material on social security was gathered during Altmeyer's years in office; the rest of the papers are dated mainly after 1955.
The Personal Papers are split into biographical materials and miscellany. The Biographical Materials document Altmeyer's life and include the transcript of Columbia University's oral history interviews with him. Miscellany contains Christmas cards and social invitations, along with letters that Altmeyer separated out as a “Personal File.”
