Born in Illinois, Jane Addams is remembered as an influential social activist and feminist icon; she was the most prominent member of a notable group of female social reformers who were active during the first half of the twentieth century. Foremost among her many accomplishments was the creation of Hull House in Chicago. Staff from this settlement provided social services to the urban poor and successfully advocated for a number of social and industrial reforms. An ardent pacifist, Addams was Chair of The Woman's Peace Party and President of the International Congress of Women; she was also the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (1931). Addams supported women's suffrage, Prohibition, and was a founding member of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). Her writings include the widely read, autobiographical Twenty Years at Hull House. Unmarried, Addams had romantic friendships with several women. She is the "patron" saint of social workers and a symbol of indefatigable social activism on the part of women.

Jane Addams holding a peace flag, and Mary McDowell holding an American flag.

Further Reading:

Diliberto, Gioia. A Useful Woman: The Early Life of Jane Addams. New York, Scribner, 1999.

Hovde, Jane. Jane Addams. New York, Facts on File, 1989.

Linn, James Weber. Jane Addams: A Biography. New York, Appleton-Century, 1936.