We typically take our Social Security card for granted. We are taught that we should keep it somewhere safe, never lose it and certainly never allow someone else to get their hands on it. This is a fairly new phenomenon due to identity theft where people who obtain private Social Security numbers can do all sorts of things to ruin a person’s credit while stealing money. Back when Social Security cards were established, identity theft wasn’t a consideration, but it was a huge task to issue Social Security cards at the beginning to millions of Americans. Below is a history of Social Security numbers from Social Security.
Early Work – Social Security Numbers
The monumental first task was the need to register employers and workers by January 1, 1937, when workers would begin acquiring credits toward old-age insurance benefits. Since the new Social Security Board did not have the resources available to accomplish this, they contracted with the Post Office Department to distribute the applications. The first application forms were distributed in late November 1936. The numbers were assigned in the local post offices. There is no record of who received the first Social Security number (SSN).
The post offices collected the completed forms and turned them over to Social Security field offices located near major post office centers. The applications then were forwarded to Baltimore, Maryland, where SSNs were registered and various employment records established.
Over 30 million Social Security cards were issued through this early procedure, with the help of the post office. By June 30, 1937, Social Security Board had established 151 field offices, with the first office opening on October 14, 1936 in Austin, Texas. From that point on, the Board’s local office took over the task of assigning Social Security numbers. One can only imagine what a long a difficult task to was to get Social Security up and running.
