Career
At the time of his appointment he was the only African American welfare commissioner in the United States and also the first social worker to hold the position in New York City. When he first came to New York City, Doctor Dumpson was a caseworker at the Children"s Aid Society. From 1953–1954 he was a United Nations Advisor/ Chief of Training in Social Welfare to the Pakistani Government.
He joined the Department of Welfare in 1955 as Director of the Bureau of Child Welfare.
In 1958 he was First Deputy Commissioner until Mayor Robert F. Wagner appointed him Commissioner in 1959. In 1967 Doctor Dumpson was Dean of the Graduate School of Social Service at Fordham University.
During his administration at the Department of Welfare, Doctor Dumpson continued to serve on many committees, advisory boards and other related activities. He served on President John F. Kennedy’s Advisory Commission on Narcotic and Drug Abuse.
He was named Chairman by the United States. Department of State of the United States. Delegation to the United Nations Economic Commission on Asia and the Far East which participated in a seminar on Child Welfare in Bangkok.
Closer to home, he led a contingent of 2,000 Welfare Department employees who participated in the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” on August 28, 1963. He returned to New York City’s welfare department, then (and now) known as the New York City Human Resources Administration/ Department of Social Services in 1974 as Administrator/ Commissioner after repeated requests to do so from Mayor Abraham Beame. He served until 1976.
In addition to his service to the welfare department, Doctor Dumpson had academic appointments with New York University, Hunter College, and as mentioned Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service.
In 1990, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Health and Hospitals Corporation. In semi-retirement he was a Visiting Professor at Fordham University and a Senior Consultant with the New York Community Trust.
On his 100th birthday, Doctor Dumpson was honored at the offices of the New York City Human Resources Administration by its current Commissioner, Robert Doar. He also participated in the program "Free to Choose" by Milton Friedman, in the chapter "From Cradle to Grave.".
