White House Conference on Aging

The White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) is a once-a-decade conference sponsored by the Executive Office of the President of the United States which makes policy.

recommendations to the president and Congress regarding the aged. The first of its kind, the goals of the conference are to promote the dignity, health and economic security of older Americans. It has been claimed that it is perhaps the best-known White House conference. The Conference is held once a decade, with the most recent conference held in 2005, in preparation for the retirement of the baby boomer generation.

In 1950, President Harry S Truman ordered the Federal Security Agency to hold a national conference on aging. The purpose was to assess the policy challenges posed by a changing populace, particularly in light of numerous changes in federal entitlement programs (such as Social Security) that had been enacted during the previous 20 years. Social Security's goal was to assist those in need of financial assistance such as the poor, elderly, physically disabled or mentally ill.

The 4,000 attendees at the 1971 conference (which this first day of issue cover honours) recommended more than 193 actions, some of which led directly to the founding of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and the Federal Council on Aging.

Thank you Merja for this special embossed stamped cover.