From 1919 through 1953, the U.S. Department of Agriculture housed the Division of Farm Population and Rural Life - the first unit within the federal government established specifically for sociological research. It reached the height of its influence during the New Deal and World War II as it helped implement modern liberal policies in America's farming sector, attempting to counteract the harsh effects of modern industrialism on the rural economy. In addition, the Division devoted resources to studying both the history and the contemporary state of rural social life. Sociology in Government offers the first detailed historical account and systematic documentation of this remarkable federal office.