T. J. Woofter, Jr. and government social science research during the New Deal, World War II, and the Cold War

Ellis, Mark (2020) T. J. Woofter, Jr. and government social science research during the New Deal, World War II, and the Cold War. Journal of Policy History, 32 (3). pp. 241-272. ISSN 1528-4190 (https://doi.org/10.1017/S0898030620000081)

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Abstract

The work of southern sociologist Thomas Jackson Woofter Jr. (1893-1972) is frequently cited by American historians, but his contribution to government policy on agriculture in the New Deal, Social Security in the 1940s, and demography in the Cold War remains underappreciated. He left the University of North Carolina to direct government research on rural relief in the 1930s, Social Security enhancement during and after World War II, and foreign population and manpower projections during the Cold War. Contributing to the delivery of essential programs in key agencies, he participated in internal and external debates over policy and social attitudes between 1930 and 1960. Woofter worked for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Works Progress Administration, the Farm Security Agency, the Federal Security Agency, and the Central Intelligence Agency, improving data-gathering and assisting transitions in federal policymaking. This article assesses his role in those agencies, using official records, other primary materials, and secondary sources.

ORCID iDs

Ellis, Mark ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3399-6855;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:72204
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    31 July 2020
    Published
    7 July 2020
    Published Online
    17 October 2019
    Accepted
    2019
    Submitted
    Keywords:Thomas Jackson (Jack) Woofter, Jr., social science, US social attitudes, government policy, rural life, social security, welfare, Cold War, World War II, New Deal, United States, Canada, Latin America, History
    Subjects:History United States, Canada, Latin America
    Department:Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > Humanities > History
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:29 Apr 2020 13:57
    Last modified:01 Nov 2023 11:11
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/72204
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