Lula Dunn was an influential leader in the American public welfare field from the late 1930s until her retirement in 1964. She was born in Grove Hill, Alabama, circa 1896, and educated at Alabama Polytechnic Institute and the University of North Carolina. She received honorary degrees from Alabama College and from Western College in Ohio. Dunn Began her career as a social case worker and later directed the Alabama Relief Administration and the Alabama Works Progress Administration. From 1937 to 1949, she served as commissioner of the Alabama State Department of Public Welfare.
Her contributions to social work at the national level came through the American Public Welfare Association (APWA). First elected to its board of directors in 1938, she served as the Association's vice-president (1940-1942) and president (1944-1946). In 1949 she resigned her Alabama position to become the full-time director of APWA, a position she held until her retirement in 1964. She was active in building a stronger base of support for the organization nationwide. She traveled extensively, delivered numerous speeches, and served on various advisory committees for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; the Social Security Administration; and other public and private organizations. Lula Dunn died in 1977 in Washington, D.C.
From the guide to the Loula Dunn Papers, 1937-1965, (University of Minnesota Libraries. Social Welfare History Archives [swha])
