NAIFA Has Brought Financial Professionals Together Since 1890
The National Association of Life Underwriters (NALU) began at the Parker House Hotel in Boston on June 18, 1890. Some 70 general agents and managers representing the field forces of nearly every major U.S. life insurance company gathered there to discuss matters facing the industry and propose reforms. From Day One, NALU, which later became NAIFA, has existed as an advocacy association representing financial professionals in the field, promoting ethical conduct, and protecting consumer interests.
Through the decades, NAIFA’s advocacy successes have advanced the profession and protected consumers. These wins include:
- In 1913, NAIFA was the driving force behind exclusions for life insurance death benefits, dividends, and cash value in the Revenue Act of 1913, exclusions that remain in effect today.
- In 1974, NAIFA was instrumental in the creation of individual retirement accounts (IRAs), which in turn led to 401k retirement savings programs and health savings accounts (HSAs).
- In 2019 and 2022, NAIFA championed the SECURE Act and SECURE 2.0 Act, complementary pieces of legislation that make it easier for Americans to save for retirement and encourage employers to provide retirement plans.
That founding meeting in Boston included representatives of state and regional associations of life insurance agents, and today NAIFA remains the most influential and active association of financial professionals in every state. Fifty state chapters along with thriving local chapters and affiliates ensure NAIFA’s grassroots influence is strong in every statehouse and state regulatory office.
Throughout its history, NAIFA has been dedicated to ensuring members' professional success for the benefit of their clients and communities. Professional development and education help members stay in business and succeed. Consumer education strengthens the industry.
NAIFA has played a meaningful role in founding or promoting many other institutions and organizations serving the insurance and financial services industry, including LIMRA, the Million Dollar Round Table, The American College of Financial Services, GAMA International, the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting, Life Happens, and others.
In 2023 and 2024, respectively, NAIFA added Life Happens and The Society of Financial Service Professionals as NAIFA Communities, securing our place as the leading advocacy, professional development, and consumer education association in the industry. To learn about some of the individuals who have played pivotal roles in NAIFA's history, please visit the NAIFA Hall of Fame. You can learn more about NAIFA's history from Voices From the Field: A History of the National Association of Life Underwriters, 1890-1990.
NAIFA Presidents
1890–1891 George N. Carpenter, Boston, MA
1891–1892 Charles H. Raymond, Morristown, NJ
1892–1893 C.E. Tillinghast, Cleveland, OH
1893–1894 Charles Ferguson, Chicago, IL
1894–1895 Everett H. Plummer, Philadelphia, PA
1895–1896 Ben S. Calef, Boston, MA
1896–1897 David S. Hendrick, Washington, DC
1897–1898 Thos. H. Bowles, Milwaukee, WI
1898–1899 Richard E. Cochran, New York, NY
1899–1900 James L. Johnson, Springfield, MA
1900–1901 I. Layton Register, Philadelphia, PA
1901–1902 William D. Wyman, Chicago, IL
1902–1903 Philip H. Farley, New York, NY
1903–1904 Hubert H. Ward, Cleveland, OH
1904–1905 John Dolph, Cincinnati, OH
1905–1906 Charles W. Scovel, Pittsburgh, PA
1906–1907 Frank E. McMullen, Rochester, NY
1907–1909 Charles J. Edwards, Brooklyn, NY
1909–1910 John Whittington, Los Angeles, CA
1910–1911 Henry J. Powell, Louisville, KY
1911–1912 Bracket Bishop, Chicago, IL
1912–1913 Neil D. Sills, Richmond, VA
1913–1914 Ernest J. Clark, Baltimore, MD
1914–1915 Hugh M. Willett, Atlanta, GA
1915–1916 Edward A. Woods, Pittsburgh, PA
1916–1917 John Newton Russell, Los Angeles, CA
1917–1918 Lawrence Priddy, New York, NY
1918–1919 J.K. Voshell, Baltimore, MD
1919–1920 J. Stanley Edwards, Denver, CO
1920–1921 Orville Thorp, Dallas, TX
1921–1922 John L. Shuff, Cincinnati, OH
1922–1923 Adolph Eliason, St. Paul, MN
1923–1924 Graham C. Wells, New York, NY
1924–1925 John W. Clegg, Philadelphia, PA
1925–1926 Frank L. Jones, Indianapolis, IN
1926–1927 George D. Alder, Salt Lake City, UT
1927–1928 Julian S. Myrick, New York, NY
1928–1929 Paul F. Clark, CLU, Boston, MA
1929–1930 S. T. Whatley, Chicago, IL
1930–1931 George Lackey, CLU, Oklahoma City, OK
1931–1932 Elbert G. Storer, Indianapolis, IN
1932–1933 Charles C. Thompson, Seattle, WA
1933–1934 C. Vivian Anderson, CLU, Cincinnati, OH
1934–1935 Theodore M. Riehle, CLU, New York, NY
1935–1936 Lester O. Shriver, Peoria, IL
1936 Alexander E. Patterson, Chicago, IL
1937 Theodore M. Riehle, CLU, New York, NY
1937–1938 Sam Cummings, Dallas, TX
1938–1939 Holgar J. Johnson, Pittsburgh, PA
1939–1940 Charles J. Zimmerman, CLU, Chicago, IL
1940–1941 Harry T. Wright, Chicago, IL
1941–1942 John A. Whitherspoon, Nashville, TN
1942–1943 Grant Taggart, Cowley, WY
1943–1944 Herbert A. Hedges, Kansas City, MO
1944–1945 Wm. Andrews Jr., CLU, Greensboro, NC
1945–1946 Clancy D. Connell, New York, NY
1946–1947 Philip B. Hobbs, Chicago, IL
1947–1948 Jul B. Baumann, Houston, TX
1948–1949 Clifford Orr, CLU, Philadelphia, PA
1949–1950 Judd Benson, Cincinnati, OH
1950–1951 John Moynahan, CLU, Berwyn, IL
1951–1952 Charles Cleeton, CLU, Los Angeles, CA
1952–1953 David Flugelman, CLU, New York, NY
1953–1954 Robert C. Gilmore Jr., Bridgeport, CT
1954–1955 Robert L. Walker, CLU, Orlando, FL
1955–1956 Stanley C. Collins, CLU, Buffalo, NY
1956–1957 Jack Nussbaum, Milwaukee, WI
1957–1958 Albert C. Adams, Philadelphia, PA
1958–1959 Oren D. Pritchard, Indianapolis, IN
1959–1960 William S. Hendley Jr., Columbia, SC
1960–1961 William E. North, CLU, Evanston, IL
1961–1962 R.L. McMillon, Abilene, TX
1962–1963 David Blumberg, CLU, Knoxville, TN
1963–1964 John Schneider, CLU, Baltimore, MD
1964–1965 William Gatling, Norfolk, VA
1965–1966 Philip A. Hoche, CLU, Orlando, FL
1966–1967 Lewis C. Yount, CLU, Seattle, WA
1967–1968 Francis G. Bray, Houston, TX
1968–1969 Roy D. Simon, CLU, Chicago, IL
1969–1970 Raymond King Jr., CLU, Charlotte, NC
1970–1971 Herbert F. Mischke, CLU, St. Paul, MN
1971–1972 John P. Meehan, CLU, Boston, MA
1972–1973 Franklin Steiner, Mobile, AL
1973–1974 Lester A. Rosen, CLU, Memphis, TN
1974–1975 Norm Levine, CLU, ChFC, New York, NY
1975–1976 Bruce Hendrickson, CLU, Holdrege, NE
1976–1977 Robert W. Forker, CLU, Zanesville, OH
1977–1978 Jack E. Bobo, CLU, FLMI, Phoenix, AZ
1978–1979 Bart Hodges, CLU, Austin, TX
1979–1980 Thomas J. Wolff, CLU, ChFC, Vernon, CT
1980–1981 Kirke Lewis, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, Memphis, TN
1981–1982 Jack Peckinpaugh, CLU, Muncie, IN
1982–1983 Rice E. Brown, CLU, Topeka, KS
1983–1984 Robert Hughes, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, Lansing, MI
1984–1985 Michael Keenan, CLU, ChFC, Evanston, IL
1985–1986 Mac McManigal, CLU, CPCU, LUTCF, Fairfield, CA
1986–1987 David F. Woods, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, Springfield, MA
1987–1988 Arthur Abramson, CLU, ChFC, New Orleans, LA
1988–1989 Alan Press, CLU, LUTCF, New York, NY
1989–1990 Robert J. Wernecke, CLU, Phoenix, AZ
1990–1991 John Neighbors, CLU, LUTCF, Houston, TX
1991–1992 Mike Nicholson, CLU, ChFC, Madison, WI
1992–1993 Stephen C. Shaw, CLU, Lafayette, CA
1993–1994 Robert Tedoldi, CLU, ChFC, Glastonbury, CT
1994–1995 Allan G. Hancock, CLU, ChFC, Altoona, PA
1995–1996 Raymond H. “Mickey” Moran, CLU, ChFC, Memphis, TN
1996–1997 David B. Malkin, CLU, ChFC, Livingston, NJ
1997–1998 Mark D. Johnson, CLU, ChFC, RHU, Duluth, MN
1998–1999 Larry M. Lambert, CLU, CFP, Long Beach, CA
1999–2000 John M. Ruckel, LUTCF, Nacogdoches, TX
2000–2001 Dennis R. Merideth, CLU, ChFC, Tucson, AZ
2001–2002 Robert M. Nelson, CLU, LUTCF, Omaha, NE
2002–2003 Richard A. Koob, CLU, ChFC, AEP, Waukesha, WI
2003–2004 Randy R. Kilgore, CLU, LUTCF, RHU, Colorado Springs, CO
2004–2005 C. Robert Brown Sr., CLU, LUTCF, Memphis, TN
2005–2006 David E. Smithkey, CLU, RFC, Flint, MI
2006–2007 John A. Davidson, LUTCF, FSS, Thousand Oaks, CA
2007–2008 Jeffrey J. Taggart, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, Cody, WY
2008–2009 Cliff F. Wilson, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, Chandler, AZ
2009–2010 Thomas D. Currey, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, Grand Prairie, TX
2010–2011 Terry K. Headley, LUTCF, LIC, FSS, LaVista, NE
2011-2012 Robert A. Miller, MA, MS, New York, NY
2012-2013 Robert O. Smith, CLU, ChFC, JD, LIC, Grand Rapids, MI
2013-2014 John F. Nichols, MSM, CLU, Chicago, IL
2014-2015 Juli Y. McNeely, LUTCF, CFP, CLU, Spencer, WI
2015-2016 Jules O. Gaudreau Jr., ChFC, CIC, CRM, Springfield, MA
2016-2017 Paul R. Dougherty, LUTCF, FSS, HIA, Hyattsville, MD
2017-2018 Keith M. Gillies, CFP, CLU, ChFC, La Place, LA
2018-2019 Jill M. Judd, LUTCF, FSS, Capitola, CA
2020 Cammie Scott, MSIE, ChHC, CLTC, LUTCF, REBC, RHU, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, Springdale, AR
2021 Thomas O. Michel, LACP. CLTC
2022 Lawrence J. Holzberg, LUTCF, LACP
2023 Bryon Holz, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, CASL, LACP
2024 Tom Cothron, LUTCF, FSCP
