U.S. Stamp
 |
Left to Right: President Kennedy, Wis. Governor. Nelson, Vice-President Johnson, and Postmaster General Day |
Let’s make history again!
On Aug. 31, 1961, President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and Wisconsin Gov. Gaylord Nelson joined the U.S. Postmaster General to memorialize the 50th anniversary of the workers compensation system by unveiling a commemorative postage stamp. The Rose Garden ceremony was the outcome of a collaborative campaign initiated by Wisconsin employers to persuade the U.S. Postal Service to create a commemorative 4-cent stamp. Among other high-profile events held in September 1961 was a keynote address in Wisconsin by U.S. Labor Secretary Arthur Goldberg.
The 100th anniversary of the issuance of the first insurance policy under the nation's first constitutional workers compensation law (in Wisconsin) will be September 1, 2011. Employers Mutual Liability Insurance Company of Wisconsin (later known as Wausau Insurance) wrote the first policy for the Wausau Sulphate and Fibre Company (later known as Mosinee Paper Corp. and now as Wausau Paper) on September 1, 1911.
Although the U.S. Postal Service will not be offering a centennial stamp to honor the workers' compensation centennial in 2011, efforts are underway to encourage national leaders to participate in some sort of national observance of the centennial.