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Profile of the Day: Jane Addams

Today we celebrate social activist Jane Addams, who was born on this day in 1860.

Image: Jane Addams / Library of Congress

Addams was born on September 6, 1860 in Cedarville, Illinois to John H. Adams and Sarah Weber. Her father was a prominent political figure in Illinois and a friend of President Abraham Lincoln. As a child, she became interested in helping the poor after reading the works of Charles Dickens. She studied medicine in order to become a doctor, however she was unable to finish her studies due to poor health.

In 1889, Addams and Ellen Gates Starr opened Hull House, one of the first settlement houses in the U.S. which provided services to immigrants and the poor in the Chicago area. Her work as a social reformer helped bring issues of public health to the forefront of the nation’s attention. In 1931, she became the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Explore Jane Addams’s family tree on Geni and discover how you’re connected to the pioneering social reformer.

View Jane Addams’s Geni Profile

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The post Profile of the Day: Jane Addams first appeared on The Geni Blog.

Source: Geni.com

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