A Fitting Tribute

The Flemming Awards honor one of the most talented and accomplished civil servants of the 20th century. Arthur S. Flemming began his federal career in 1939, when he was appointed a member of the U.S. Civil Service Commission. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he served on the Hoover Commission, which conducted landmark studies of the organization and management of the federal government.

Flemming was a member of President Eisenhower's Advisory Committee on Government Organization and served as his Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare from 1958 to 1961. He was a major figure in shaping Social Security policy for the next four decades, and was a co-founder of the Save Our Security Coalition, a Social Security advocacy group.

Flemming chaired the White House Conference on Aging in 1971 and was appointed by President Nixon in 1973 to head the U.S. Commission on Aging. He led the commission until 1978, serving Presidents Ford and Carter as well. From 1974 to 1982, Flemming also chaired the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Flemming twice received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1957 and in 1994.

In a letter to Flemming Award recipients last year, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote: "For 50 years, these awards have been a fitting tribute to Arthur S. Flemming, whose life illustrated the leadership and commitment demonstrated by public servants every day."