Profile of the Day: Jane Addams

On this day in 1860, social activist Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois. A leader in social reform, women’s suffrage and world peace, Addams was the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

Image: Jane Addams / Library of Congress

Addams was the youngest of eight children born to a prominent Illinois family. Her father, John Addams, was a prosperous businessman and served as a state senator. He was a founding member of the Illinois Republican Party and a friend of President Abraham Lincoln.

In 1889, Addams co-founded Hull House, a settlement house in Chicago which provided community services for the local immigrant and poor populations. The Hull House provided childcare, education courses, a public kitchen and other social service programs to help the city’s impoverished community. It also proved to be a space for unexpected cultural connections and diversity. Today, Addams is recognized as the founder of the social work profession in the United States. 

View Jane Addams’s Geni Profile