Florence Kelley
Born September 12, 1859 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Died February 17, 1932 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Social worker
Florence Kelley was a passionate crusader for workers' rights in an era when there was almost no federal or state regulation to protect them. She carried out much of her most important work in Chicago, Illinois, and lived at the famous Hull House settlement founded by Jane Addams (1860–1935; see entry). Kelley was tireless in her efforts to end child labor and improve working conditions for the women who were employed in the light-industry factories that produced consumer goods before the rise of organized labor. She was the first official inspector of factories in the state of Illinois, and she fought for the establishment of the Children's Bureau to protect the health and safety of the underage.
Background and Education
Kelley was born on September 12, 1859, into a prominent Philadelphia family. Her father, William Darrah Kelley, was a local judge. One of the founders of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania, he was elected to Congress in 1860 and served in Washington, D.C., for thirty years. Kelley's mother, Caroline Kelley was one of eight children in her family, but half died in infancy or childhood, and she was the sole daughter to survive.
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