Grace Abbott
Encyclopedia
Grace Abbott was an American
social worker who specifically worked in advancing child welfare
. Her elder sister was social worker Edith Abbott
.
Abbott was born in Grand Island, Nebraska
. Abbott graduated from Grand Island College in 1898. Before embarking on her future career in social work
, she worked as a high school teacher in her hometown through 1906. In 1902, she started graduate studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In 1907, she moved to Chicago
, where she began her career in social work. She took up residency in the Hull House
, an urban center for women engaged in early proto-feminism
and social reform, as well as a safe haven for the poor. In 1909, Abbott received a Ph.M.
in political science from the University of Chicago
.
Abbott served on several committees and organizations for advancing the societal cause of the child welfare, including the Immigrants' Protective League (1908-1917), Child Labor Division of the U.S. Children's Bureau
(1921 to 1934), and was also a member of the Women's Trade Union League
.
Abbott was an author of several sociological texts, including The Immigrant and the Community (1917) and The Child and the State (1938, 2 volumes). She was also responsible for incorporating social statistics
and research into legislative policy-making as well as investigating child labor violations in shipbuilding plants and other factories across the United States.
Abbott pioneered the process of incorporating sociological data relating to child labor, juvenile delinquency, dependency and statistics into the lawmaking process; she spent much of her time as a political lobbyist for social issues in Washington, D.C.
. She was associated with the Social Security Administration
from 1934 until her death in 1939; during that time period, Abbott helped in the drafting of the Social Security Act and chaired several government committees on child welfare and social issues.
She was the first woman to be nominated for a Presidential cabinet position, but was not confirmed. Her mother was a Quaker and her father, Othman A. Abbott
, was the first Lt.Gov of the state of Nebraska
. She never married.
During a 1938 health checkup, doctors discovered that she was suffering from multiple myeloma
. The disease caused her death one year later.
Abbott is a member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
social worker who specifically worked in advancing child welfare
Child welfare
Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability...
. Her elder sister was social worker Edith Abbott
Edith Abbott
Edith Abbott was an American economist, social worker, educator, and author. Abbott was born in Grand Island, Nebraska. Her younger sister was Grace Abbott....
.
Abbott was born in Grand Island, Nebraska
Grand Island, Nebraska
Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 48,520 at the 2010 census.Grand Island is home to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center which is the sole agency responsible for training law enforcement officers throughout the state,...
. Abbott graduated from Grand Island College in 1898. Before embarking on her future career in social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
, she worked as a high school teacher in her hometown through 1906. In 1902, she started graduate studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In 1907, she moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where she began her career in social work. She took up residency in the Hull House
Hull House
Hull House is a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of , Hull House opened its doors to the recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull...
, an urban center for women engaged in early proto-feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
and social reform, as well as a safe haven for the poor. In 1909, Abbott received a Ph.M.
Master of Philosophy
The Master of Philosophy is a postgraduate research degree.An M.Phil. is a lesser degree than a Doctor of Philosophy , but in many cases it is considered to be a more senior degree than a taught Master's degree, as it is often a thesis-only degree. In some instances, an M.Phil...
in political science from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
Abbott served on several committees and organizations for advancing the societal cause of the child welfare, including the Immigrants' Protective League (1908-1917), Child Labor Division of the U.S. Children's Bureau
United States Children's Bureau
The United States Children's Bureau is a federal agency organized under the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families. Today, the bureau's operations involve improving child abuse prevention, foster care, and adoption...
(1921 to 1934), and was also a member of the Women's Trade Union League
Women's Trade Union League
The Women's Trade Union League was a U.S. organization of both working class and more well-off women formed in 1903 to support the efforts of women to organize labor unions and to eliminate sweatshop conditions...
.
Abbott was an author of several sociological texts, including The Immigrant and the Community (1917) and The Child and the State (1938, 2 volumes). She was also responsible for incorporating social statistics
Social statistics
Social statistics is the use of statistical measurement systems to study human behavior in a social environment. This can be accomplished through polling a particular group of people, evaluating a particular subset of data obtained about a group of people, or by observation and statistical...
and research into legislative policy-making as well as investigating child labor violations in shipbuilding plants and other factories across the United States.
Abbott pioneered the process of incorporating sociological data relating to child labor, juvenile delinquency, dependency and statistics into the lawmaking process; she spent much of her time as a political lobbyist for social issues in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. She was associated with the Social Security Administration
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
from 1934 until her death in 1939; during that time period, Abbott helped in the drafting of the Social Security Act and chaired several government committees on child welfare and social issues.
She was the first woman to be nominated for a Presidential cabinet position, but was not confirmed. Her mother was a Quaker and her father, Othman A. Abbott
Othman A. Abbott
Othman Ali Abbott was the first Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, United States, serving from 1877 to 1879 while Silas Garber was Governor.- Biography :...
, was the first Lt.Gov of the state of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. She never married.
During a 1938 health checkup, doctors discovered that she was suffering from multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
. The disease caused her death one year later.
Abbott is a member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame
Nebraska Hall of Fame
Nebraska Hall of Fame is an official list of prominent Nebraskans compiled in accordance to state law. Members include:*Grace Abbott -- social reformer and social worker....
.
External links
- Abbott, Grace (1917) The Immigrant and the Community http://www.archive.org/details/immigrantandcomm00abborich
- Edith and Grace Abbott, Papers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Abbott Family papers at Nebraska State Historical SocietyNebraska State Historical SocietyThe Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information .....
- Grace Abbott Reader edited by John Sorensen with Judith Sealander (University of Nebraska Press, 2008)