Francis Townsend was best known for his old-age pension proposal during the Great Depression. It was known as the “Townsend Plan,” which had greatly influenced the Roosevelt administration to establish the Social Security System. He put this into action by writing a letter to the editor of a local newspaper that launched his career as an old-age activist. He together with Earl Clements employed the techniques of real estate statesmanship for supporting the plan. Soon after, there were a lot of organizers in almost every state that sought the creation and implementation of the Townsend Plan programs.
