FWD: inquiry

[Sam Clements]

There is a "Mr. Downey" D-CA, mentioned in relationship to Social Security
in 1939, at http://www.ssa.gov/history/reports/crsleghist3.html.  Seems
likely.

Sam Clements
----- Original Message -----
From: "Baker, John" <JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, December 29, 2002 3:04 PM
Subject: Re: FWD: inquiry


>         It's a little old for Humphrey.  The OED has 1938:  "Time 24 Oct.
12/2 Mr. Downey had an inspiration to do something on behalf of what he
calls, for campaign purposes, 'our senior citizens'."  I have no idea who
Mr. Downey was.  The State of Washington passed a Senior Citizens Grants Act
by ballot initiative in 1941.
>
> John Baker
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Beverly Flanigan [mailto:flanigan at OHIOU.EDU]
> Sent: Saturday, December 28, 2002 1:49 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: FWD: inquiry
>
>
> My memory is that the phrase was coined by Hubert Humphrey when he was
> promoting welfare reform in the late '50s and early '60s--probably when he
> was running for President in 1960.  At least we loyal Minnesota DFLers
gave
> him credit for it in the good old days before Vietnam.  He also conceived
> of the Peace Corps, which Kennedy then appropriated when he beat out
> Humphrey in the primaries (I remember, sadly, the day he lost West
Virginia).
>
> At 08:57 AM 12/28/2002 -0500, you wrote:
> >Any thoughts on this request?  Send them to Joe (or the list).
> >
> >
> >Quoting Joe <pagejoe at wizwire.com>:
> >
> > > Hello Terry Irons: I came across your name while playing around with
my
> > > laptop in search of the origin of the euphemism "senior citizen." I'm
> > > told it was coined by an ad man in the '50s or '60s who didn't want to
> > > call people "old." I'm still unable to check it out. Any help will be
> > > welcomed with this old guy's open arms. Thanks, Joe Carroll
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >**************************
> >Terry Lynn Irons
>