Board of Public Welfare

The Board of Public Welfare replaced the Overseer of the Poor in 1927 and ran poor relief in Billerica: the town infirmary, outside relief, and the state-aided programs of Old Age Assistance, Aid to Dependent Children and Disability Assistance. It had three members elected at the annual town election, for one-year terms at first and for staggered three-year terms from 1933; from 1947 a paid welfare agent, Richard F. Conway, handled the daily work. Under Chapter 658 of the Acts of 1967 the Commonwealth took over all public assistance on July 1, 1968; the board's final report, for the half year ending June 30, 1968, was signed by James J. Torpey, Arthur R. Hallenborg and William D. Morris, and no further members were elected.