Providence College
Phillips Memorial Library
Special and Archival Collections

Guide to the Aime J. Forand papers


Collection Overview
Creator(s):	Forand, (Aime J.), 1895-1972
Title:	Aime J. Forand papers
Dates:	1918-1972
Quantity:	15 box(es) (10.75 linear feet)
Abstract:	The papers of Congressman Aime J. Forand, United States House of Representatives from the Rhode Island delegation, contains his private and congressional correspondence, awards, election material, photographs, and scrapbooks.
Identification:	rppc_msaimejforand
	The records are in English.
Repository:	Phillips Memorial Library, Special and Archival Collections 1 Cunningham Square Providence, RI 02918-0001 www.providence.edu/archives

Biographical Information

Aime Joseph Forand served as a congressional member from the 1st Congressional District of Rhode Island to the United States House of Representative for twenty-two years, and was an important advocate for senior citizens, the disabled, and the unemployed. Forand’s monumental work to provide Social Security and health insurance benefits to the elderly and disabled, culminated in the Forand Bill. This legislation passed in 1965 under the Social Security Act and was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Forand was born May 23, 1895 in Fall River, Massachusetts, to Francois Xavier and Meli-Luce Ruest Forand. After attending public and parochial schools, he studied at the Magnus Commercial School in Providence, Rhode Island, and at Columbia University. In May 1918, Forand went to France as a sergeant, first class, in the Motor Transport Corps of the American Expeditionary Force. In July, 1919 he was honorably discharged from the service.

Returning to his home town of Central Falls, Forand became a member of the City Commission in 1922. Forand soon became a Charter member of Rhode Island Young Men’s Democratic League, and served as the branch’s president from 1923 until 1926. Forand continued his political career with his election as a Democratic member of the House of Representatives of the Rhode Island General Assembly for two terms, 1923-1927. In 1924, Forand also began working as a reporter for the Providence News and News-Tribune, working at the Pawtucket and Woonsocket offices until 1930.

Aime J. Forand continued to pursue a political future throughout the 1930s. Beginning in 1929 as Secretary to United States Representative Jeremiah E. O’Connell, Forand also served in this role to O’Connell’s successor, Francis B. Condon, from 1930-1935. In 1935, Forand took a leading role in promoting the rights and welfare of veterans with his appointment to Chief of the Rhode Island State Division of Soldiers’ Relief and as Commandant of the Rhode Island Soldier's Home.

His political career continued to expand with his 1936 election to the Seventy-Fifth Congress from the 1st Congressional District. Although he lost the 1938 election, he in won his seat back in 1940 and remained in office until retiring in 1961, after the completion of the Eighty-Sixth Congress. It was during this tenure that Forand achieved his most significant and noteworthy accomplishments.

Staring in 1941, Forand served in a number of prominent roles, including speaker for the Democratic National Congressional Committee (1941), and as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee (1943), Chairman to both the United States House of Representatives Democratic Caucus (1947) and the Board of Visitors to the United States Coast Guard Academy (1948), as well as being named National Chairman of the Senior Citizens-for-Kennedy Committee. Additionally, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree by Providence College (1951).

Apart from these many achievements, Forand was instrumental in advocating for the elderly, unemployed and disabled. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, he championed jobless benefits for federal, state, and municipal employees, and promoted legislation designed to increase Social Security benefits for dependents. These aims were coupled with his sponsorship of tax legislation that would aid persons dependent on charitable and non-profit organizations due to their level of low-income.

Aime J. Forand’s most important work focused on socialized medicine for senior citizens and disabled persons. Forand proposed that medical insurance be guaranteed to these people, in addition to increasing their Social Security benefits by ten percent. The legislation was first drawn up in 1957 and despite facing opposition, Forand’s “Ten-Point Bill of Rights for Older Citizens” speech to Congress helped with the bill’s adoption by Congress in 1958. His initial demands for a ten percent increase of Social Security benefits were decreased to seven percent, but the legislation was reintroduced in 1959, and finally passed in 1964. In July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed H.R. 3708 and H.R 6675, or the “Older Americans Act,” into law under the Social Security Act. The final version of the legislation provided hospital insurance and an increase in benefits for the elderly and disabled.

Although Forand retired from Congress in 1961, he remained active in public service. Forand established, and headed as president, the National Council of Senior Citizens, Inc., (1961), and was also a member of the Advisory Committee on Housing for Senior Citizens, under Hon. Robert C. Weaver the Administrator of Housing and Home Finance. Forand resigned from this post due to ill health in 1963, and retired to Boca Raton, Florida. Forand was honored in 1970 with his induction into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.

After his retirement, Forand remained actively involved in a number of public service organizations, such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign War, Elks, and Knights of Columbus. After suffering a heart attack at his retirement home in Florida, Forand passed away on January 18, 1972. He was survived by his wife of forty-one years, Gertrude B. Bedard Forand.

Biographical Timeline


	1895 May 23	Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, to Francois Xavier and Meli-Luce Ruest Forand.
	1918 -1919	Served in France with the Motor Transport Corps of the American Expeditionary Force, as sergeant, first class.
	1922	Member of the City Commission of Central Falls, Rhode Island.
	1923	Charter member of Rhode Island Young Men’s Democratic League.
	1923 -1926	President of Central Falls Branch of Rhode Island Young Men’s Democratic League.
	1923 -1927	Democratic member of the House of Representatives of the Rhode Island General Assembly for two terms.
	1924 -1930	Reporter for the Providence News and News-Tribune.
	1929	Secretary to Jeremiah E. O’Connell, United States Representative from the First Congressional District of Rhode Island.
	1930	Secretary to O’Connell’s successor, Francis B. Condon.
	1931	Marries Gertrude B. Bedard.
	1935	Chief of the Rhode Island State Division of Soldiers’ Relief. Commandant of the Rhode Island Soldiers’ Home.
	1936	Elected to the 75th Congress from the First Congressional District.
	1938	Loses reelection to the 76th Congress.
	1940 - 1960	Reelected to the 77th Congress and remains in office until retirement after the 86th Congress.
	1941	Member of the Democratic National Congressional Committee.
	1943	Speaker of the Democratic National Congressional Committee. Member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
	1947	Chairman, United States House of Representatives Democratic Caucus.
	1948	Chairman, Board of Visitors, United States Coast Guard Academy.
	1951	Receives an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree by Providence College.
	1957	Introduces H.R. 9467, a bill to provide federal health insurance to the elderly and disabled in addition to a ten percent Social Securities benefit increase.
	1959	Re-introduces the Forand Bill.
	1960	National Chairman of the Senior Citizens-for-Kennedy Committee.
	1961	Retires from Congress. Organized the National Council of Senior Citizens, Inc., and serves as first president of the Council.
	1962 - 1963	Member of the Advisory Committee on Housing for Senior Citizens, under Hon. Robert C. Weaver, Administrator of Housing and Home Finance.
	1965 Jul 14, Jul 30	President Lyndon B. Johnson signs H.R. 3708, the “Older Americans Act. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs H.R. 6675.
	1966	Receives an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Rhode Island College.
	1970	Inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.
	1972 Jan 18	Dies of a heart attack at retirement home in Boca Raton, Florida.

[top]

Scope and Content Note

The materials which comprise the Aime J. Forand papers highlight both the private and public life of the United States House of Representative from Rhode Island. Included in his papers are congressional correspondence, photographs, memorabilia, election materials, and service awards and commendations.

Included are scrapbooks Forand personally compiled filled with news clippings and government documents that highlight his political career and advocacy work on the part of the elderly and disabled. In addition, there are a number of personal items, such as private correspondence and family photographs and film.

[top]

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into nine series.

Series list

Index Terms

Researchers wishing to find materials related to this collection should search the HELIN catalog with these index terms -- View the catalog record for this collection.

Names

Condon, Francis B. (Francis Bernard), 1891-1965

Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969.

Fogarty, John Edward, 1913-1967

Forand, Aime´ Joseph, 1895-1972

Green, Theodore Francis, 1867-1966

Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978

Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973

Pastore, John O. (John Orlando), 1907-

Robert E. Quinn, 1894-1975

Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972

Subjects

National Conference on Social Welfare

Rhode Island -- Politics and government -- 1865-1950

Rhode Island -- Politics and government -- 1951-

Rhode Island. General Assembly. House of Representatives

[top]

Administrative Information

Custodial History

Prior to Providence College's acquisition of the collection, the papers and personal items of Congressman Aime J. Forand were in the custody of his sister-in-law, Ms. Angelina Trahan.

Preferred Citation

Aime J. Forand papers, Providence College Library, Special and Archival Collections

Acquistions Information

Ms. Angelina Trahan, sister of Mrs. Aime J. Forand, donated the papers and personal memorabilia of the Congressman to Providence College in 1977.

Processing Information

The collection was originally processed in 1978.

Finding aid prepared by Archives Staff.

Finding aid encoded by Shannon McNamara, 2009 Feb 5

Restrictions

Open for research.

Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Librarian of Special and Archival Collections when in compliance to the College's policy on copyright and publication.

Separated Materials

No materials were separated from this collection.

There are no related materials.

[top]