Ida May Fuller

For the co-founder of the Sigma Kappa sorority, see Ida Fuller.

Ida May Fuller
File:IdaMayFuller.jpg Ida May with her check
Born	(1874-09-06)September 6, 1874 Ludlow, Vermont, U.S.
Died	Brattleboro, Vermont, U.S.

Ida May Fuller (September 6, 1874 – January 27, 1975) was the first American to receive a monthly benefit Social Security check. She received the check, amounting to $22.54, on January 31, 1940.

Fuller was born on a farm outside Ludlow, Vermont. She spent most of her life in Ludlow, working as a legal secretary, but lived with her niece in Brattleboro, Vermont during her last eight years. She retired in 1939, having paid just three years of payroll taxes. She received monthly Social Security checks until her death in 1975 at age 100. By the time of her death, Fuller had collected $22,888.92 from Social Security monthly benefits, compared to her contributions of $24.75 to the system. She later said about going to the Social Security office, "It wasn't that I expected anything, mind you, but I knew I'd been paying for something called Social Security and I wanted to ask the people in Rutland about it."

External links

• Ida May Fuller (accessed 2007-09-27)
• Details of Ida May Fuller's Payroll Tax Contributions (accessed 2007-09-27)