New York State Commission on Relief for Widowed Mothers Correspondence of the Secretary

Chronological.

The commission was established by authority of Chapter 588 of the Laws of 1913 to investigate and report on the practicability and appropriate method of providing by statute for pensions or other relief for widowed mothers. Its work included an investigation of the circumstances affecting widowed mothers which would show the necessity or propriety of providing relief, and it was required to submit a report to the 1914 legislature on its findings, including recommendations on proposed legislation. The commission and its appointed subcommittees had authority to inquire into the conditions and statutes "in any State and country" and in doing so to"send for persons or papers," examine witnesses under oath, and take all necessary measures to examine the subject.

The series consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence of the commission's secretary, Richard Newstadt, and to a lesser extent of its assistant secretary, Anna B. Fox. The correspondence is not complete; the bulk of it represents administrative correspondence relating to commission requests to various state officials and representatives of chartiable organizations for information on efforts to provide relief of the poor. Legislation authorized a full inquiry into charitable practices and policy, both governmental and private, and the commission particularly attempted to ascertain the results of similar investigations in other states and the accomplishments of actual relief work with widowed mothers and their children.

Correspondence in the series specifically relates to: the commission's study of policies and practices of the Charity Organization Society of the City of New York, including summaries of individual cases; a report to commission chairman Aaron J. Levy summarizing and commenting on testimony of New York City organizations, including summaries of individual cases; requests from individuals and organizations to change the transcripts of the commission's investigative proceedings at which they testified; requests for information on the status of poor relief laws and work of similar commissions in other states; progress of widow's pension legislation in New York State and attempts to publicize it and the commission's work in the press; and aggregation of material necessary to the commission's final report, correspondence regarding its publication, and requests to the commission for both preliminary and final copies of the report.

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