Jane+Addams


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Jane Addams

 * [ 1860 - 1935 ]**

Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois in 1860 and graduated from Rockford College in 1882. She founded the world famous social settlement Hull House in Chicago's slums in 1889. From Hull House, where she lived and worked until her death in 1935, Jane Addams was known as the country's most important woman through her writing, her international efforts for world peace, and her pioneering work as an organizer in setting up the settlement house movement in the United States. For her efforts, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

Jane Addams traveled a lot to tell people her views with support from women's organizations, university faculties and the Urban League. She also played a prominent role in local and national organizations as well. She was the founder of the Chicago Federation of Settlements in 1894, and also helped to establish the National Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers in 1911. She was a leader in the Consumers League and served as the first woman president of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections. She was chairman of the Labor Committee of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, the National Child Labor Committee and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In addition, she supported the campaign for woman suffrage and the founding of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Along with many of her accomplishments Addams was the president of the National Conference and she won variation as the first women to be granted an honorary degree by Yale University. For the rest of her life she stayed at Hull House. She published a report of the first 20 years of her life there, which she followed up on with the second 20 years in Hull House. The first, demonstrated her pioneering role as a community organizer.

In 1911, members of the new Natolnal Federation of Settlements chose Addams as the first president and she stayed in office until her death on May 21, 1935. She was buried Cedarville, near her childhood home.


 * Citations:** [|Jane Addams: Biography]