Abe Epstein

Abraham Epstein (April 20, 1892 – May 2, 1942) was a Russian-born American lecturer and activist. He championed social security and was a major figure in its enactment into law in the United States.

Biography Epstein was born on April 20, 1892, in Lyuban, Russian Empire, to Jews Leon and Bessie Levovitz Epstein. He read a lot as a child, including banned socialist authors Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, which he had access to due to his library being in a rural town. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1917 and continued his studies at Columbia University until 1931.

Epstein argued for social security nonpartisanly and believed that the facts and statistics would change opinions. which in 1933, renamed itself to the American Association for Social Security. The group was a figure in the enactment of the Social Security Act in 1935. Though, Epstein disagreed with the law's restrictions and continued to advocate for more social safety nets.