Born September 6, 1860
Cedarville, Illinois
Died May 21, 1935
Chicago, Illinois
Founder of Hull House and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Jane Addams came from a wealthy, influential family and chose to live among and advocate for the poor. Originally committed to performing charity work, Addams later recognized that the road to equality lay in extensive social reform. To that end, she founded and spent forty years at Hull House, a community center, neighborhood association, and cultural and educational institution in a working-class section of Chicago, Illinois. Addams advocated that women have career opportunities and the right to vote. She also brought together women in the United States and Europe to work for world peace. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.
Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, a farming community in northern Illinois, on September 6, 1860. She was the youngest of five surviving children (three others died in infancy and one died at age sixteen). Hers was the wealthiest and most influential family in the community. When Addams was two years old, her mother, Sarah Weber, died during childbirth. Her father, John Huy Addams, married Anna H.
