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

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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) > School of Humanities > History
      Depositing user: Pure Administrator
      Date deposited:29 Apr 2020 13:57
      Last modified:12 Mar 2021 02:18
      URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/72204
    CORE (COnnecting REpositories)