Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A former executive department of the United States government: The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) was a cabinet-level department in the U.S. federal government. It was created in 1953 to consolidate federal responsibilities related to health, education, and social security. The department was divided in 1979 to form the separate Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was a major federal agency for over 25 years.
  • Many social programs in the 1960s were administered by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Advanced Usage

• Historical reference: The term is primarily used in historical or legal contexts to refer to the specific U.S. government department that existed from 1953 to 1979.
  • The policy was enacted under the auspices of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Variants and Related Words

• HEW: A common initialism for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
  • The HEW secretary was a prominent figure in the administration.
• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): The successor agency responsible for health and welfare programs after the 1979 split.
• Department of Education (ED): The successor agency responsible for federal education policy after the 1979 split.

Synonyms

• Federal agency (general term for a government department)
• Cabinet department (a department whose head is a member of the President's cabinet)

Related Phrases

• Former department: A phrase often used to specify that HEW no longer exists in its original form.
  • The records are archived from the former Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Noun

1. a former executive department of the United States government; created in 1953 and divided in 1979