[erik998]

In 1875, the American Express Company established the first private pension plan in the United States.

I can also see a situation where the SSA recipient in 1940 was born in 1875. The recipient age 65 could have married someone very young for 10 years. That younger person could be on survivors benefits and continue receiving payments.

Here is an example: https://www.ssa.gov/history/idapayroll.html

On January 31, 1940, the first monthly retirement check was issued to Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont, in the amount of $22.54. Miss Fuller, a Legal Secretary, retired in November 1939. She started collecting benefits in January 1940 at age 65 and lived to be 100 years old, dying in 1975.

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10084.pdf

https://www.ssa.gov/survivor/eligibility

So if in 1965 this retired person married someone age 18... Then that person at 18 never remarried. Could they end up in a situation where they receive survivors benefits from the original applicant?

The recent spouse would be born in 1947 and marry in 1965 for 10 years until their spouse's death... not have remarried or worked, then at age 60 in 2007, derive survivors benefits from original applicant?

[hylaride]

> So if in 1965 this retired person married someone age 18... Then that person at 18 never remarried. Could they end up in a situation where they receive survivors benefits from the original applicant?

"In order to receive this (spousal) benefit, you must have been married for at least 10 years, and both you and your ex must be at least 62 years of age".

Basically, you could but you wouldn't get much to make it worthwhile. I do know that veterans benefits did (at one time?) payout to spouses in the way you ask, though. IIRC benefits from the American Civil War were paid out into the 21st century due to a handful of cases where old veterans married young women. The last known "civil war widow" died in 2008 having married an 86 year old at 19. A daughter received her father's benefits until 2020. There was also another spouse who died in 2020, but she never collected the pension.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War_widows_who_...

[Projectiboga]

The ten year rule is more recent than the SSA.

[Suppafly]

There is a case like that with civil war benefits, the last survivor married a young girl that was his caretaker when he was like 90, and she finally died a few years ago, basically a lifetime after the war had ended.