apr 9, 1912 - Children's Bureau was founded (Children's Bureau, 2012)

Description:

On April 9, 1912, President William Howard Taft signed the law establishing the Children’s Bureau. It took a strong grassroots effort, 11 bills (8 in the House and 3 in the Senate), and 6 years for Congress to pass the Children’s Bureau bill. The final law called on the new agency to “investigate and report… upon all matters pertaining to the welfare of children and child life among all classes of our people.” In particular, the Bureau was charged with looking at infant mortality, the birth rate, orphanages, juvenile courts, dangerous occupations, accidents and diseases of children, and employment.