Bary, Helen Valeska, 1887-1973

Helen Valeska Bary was an American suffragist and helped establish the U.S. government social welfare administration. In 1914, she worked for the California Industrial Welfare Commission investigating the working conditions of women laundry workers. Shortly after World War I, she worked in Puerto Rico for the Federal Children's Bureau as a researcher and social reformer, reporting on the living conditions of indigent and homeless children on the island. Bary worked for the federal Social Security Board (SSB) since its inception in 1935 during the Great Depression. She worked there until 1948, representing the SSB in western states, helping them to develop social welfare reform plans in order to receive federal money. (Source: Wikipedia)