Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 – May 21, 1935) was an American
settlement activist, reformer,
social worker,
sociologist,
public administrator and author. She was a notable figure in the history of social work and
women's suffrage in the United States and an advocate for
world peace. She co-founded Chicago's
Hull House, one of America's most famous settlement houses. In 1910, Addams was awarded an honorary master of arts degree from
Yale University, becoming the first woman to receive an honorary degree from the school. In 1920, she was a co-founder for the
American Civil Liberties Union. In 1931, she became the first American woman to be awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize, and is recognized as the founder of the social work profession in the United States. She is increasingly being recognized as a member of the American
pragmatist school of philosophy, and is known by many as the first woman "public philosopher in the history of the United States".
Photograph credit: Bain News Service; restored by Adam Cuerden