Voting Station

Grace Abbott

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Advocate

The Resume

    (November 17, 1878-June 19, 1939)
    Born in Grand Island, Nebraska
    Social worker and child welfare advocate
    Wrote the newspaper column ‘Within the City's Gates’ (1909-10)
    Co-founded the Joint Committee for Vocational Training (1911)
    Wrote ‘The Immigrant and the Community’ (1917) and ‘The Child and the State’ (1938)
    Served on the Immigrants' Protective League (1908-17) and the Child Labor Division of the U.S. Children's Bureau (1917-34)
    Advocacy led to the passage of the Keating-Owen Act of 1916

Why she might be annoying:

    She never married and she lived with her sister.
    It is very hard to find a photo of her not scowling (let alone even trying to smile).
    Her chief legislative victory was reversed after the U.S. Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in 1918 (although she managed to keep key parts of the law intact).
    Her goal to pass a constitutional amendment against child labor was never realized, as it failed to gain statewide ratification in her lifetime.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was a member of the Women's Trade Union League.
    She was a local high school teacher in her hometown until 1906.
    She was the first woman to be nominated for a Presidential cabinet position.
    She was the first person to represent the United States at the League of Nations.
    She was a resident at Hull House, where she was mentored by Jane Addams.
    Her series of weekly articles for the Chicago Evening Post documented the lives of the working poor and immigrants.
    She pioneered incorporating social statistics and research into legislative policy-making.
    She helped draft the Social Security Act and chaired several government committees on child welfare and social issues under President Roosevelt.

Credit: BoyWithTheGreenHair


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 129 Votes: 48.84% Annoying