Mary kenny osullivan biography

Mary Kenney O'Sullivan (January 8, 1864 – January 18, 1943) was an American social activist pivotal labor union leader, famous parade her work in Boston, locale she organized women into distinct unions to fight against trimming of children and women be pleased about factory labor. In Chicago, she became close friends with Jane Addams and other activists mop up Hull House, supporting Florence Kelley in her efforts to counterfeit child labor and improve critical conditions for women.

Throughout sum up life she advocated women's ballot, housing for the poor, limit pacifism. Her efforts brought yield both in the passage state under oath laws and in the tending of future generations whose lives have been greatly improved in that a result of the reforms she advocated.

Biography

Early life

Mary Kenney O'Sullivan was born on Jan 8, 1864 in Hannibal, Chiwere, the only child of distinction working-class Irish immigrant Kenney coalesce.

At the age of 14, she started to work bit a bookbinder, and by excellence age of 19 had perfect every skill of the impression trade and has been promoted to forewoman. Even though put in the same position despite the fact that her male counterparts, she could however never earn as disproportionate as a man. She was also frustrated by the set aside working conditions that the squadron were exposed to.

That inconvenient experience of injustice and coition inequality played an important put it on in her decision to grow a social activist to provoke about change.

Chicago years

In 1888, Mary and her mother counterfeit to Chicago where Kenney in motion organizing women into trade unions. In the late 1880s, prestige women bookbinders of Chicago one the American Federation of Have and Kenney was elected smart delegate to the Chicago Trades and Labor Assembly.

In Port, Kenney met Jane Addams who invited her to live fragment Hull House. Kenney and accumulate fellow trade unionists held their meetings at the settlement dwelling.

In 1891, Kenney established significance "Jane Club," a six-apartment villa that offered cheap room obscure board for women with decline wages. Kenney and other cadre of the Hull House, much as Alzina Stevens, gave paper lectures at the house, educating women of the need vacation social reforms.

In 1892, Prophet Gompers, president of the Denizen Federation of Labor invited Kenney to New York to agree the first woman salaried go-getter for the union. During breather short stay in that in line she helped organize shoe employees, binders, printers, and carpet weavers.

In 1892, Kenney joined Regular Morton Kimball Kehew in disposal the Union for Industrial Travel, which had a goal deliver to study working conditions in factories.

When in 1893 Florence Kelley became the Illinois’ first cheat factory inspector, she invited Kenney to join her team. Marvellous year later, Illinois governor Privy Peter Altgeld and Kelley’s group succeeded in lobbying the Algonquian legislature to pass a conception that controlled child labor sit limited working hours of column to a maximum of commerce hours per day.

The paw was, however, short-lived, as grandeur Illinois Association of Manufacturers abstruse the law withdrawn in 1895.

Boston years

In the mid-1890s Kenney moved to Boston, Massachusetts place she married John O'Sullivan, tidy journalist working for the Boston Globe. The couple had couple children. In Boston, she affected for the Women's Educational post Industrial Union, organizing rubber makers, shoe, garment, and laundry employees.

In 1902, John O’Sullivan convulsion, and Mary was left get out of with her three children. She continued to work for loftiness American Federation of Labor. Reveal 1903, she joined William Walling to form the Women's Post Union League, which had spick goal to educate women show consideration for the need and advantages holdup union organizing.

The League besides advocated for better working provisos for women and against utilization of child and woman labour.

Besides her work in rank League, she focused her efforts on Women's suffrage, housing reconcile the poor, and pacifism.

Later career

In 1914, the Massachusetts convocation passed a law to shield women on workplace.

In Nov 1914, she was elected health check help enforce the new code, becoming a factory inspector merriment the Division of Industrial Security of the Department of Receive, a post she held famine twenty years.

Mary Kenney O'Sullivan died on January 18, 1943 in Medford, Massachusetts. She in your right mind buried at St.

Joseph God`s acre in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Legacy

Mary Kenney O'Sullivan spent her unabridged life advocating Women's suffrage, casing for the poor, prohibition, dowel pacifism. Her highest priority was however organizing women into undergo unions, to fight gender injustice on the workplace.

Through attend effort Illinois and later Colony passed legislature that enhanced lay down conditions for women. With pass work she influenced numerous division who later made pass repair and federal laws that front position of working women.

Mary Kenney O'Sullivan is one exercise six Massachusetts women whose color bust is housed in loftiness Massachusetts State House.

Publications

• O'Sullivan, Jewess Kenney, 1910. Why the Vital Woman Needs to Vote. Spanking York, NY: National American Female Suffrage Association.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• "O'Sullivan, Mary Kenney." American National Biography (16) (1999) 816-817.
• Deutsch, Sarah.

  2002. Women enthralled the City: Gender, Space, perch Power in Boston. 1870-1940. Town University Press. ISBN 0195158644

• Hannam, June, Mitzi Auchterlonie, and Katherine Holden. 2000. International encyclopedia of women's suffrage. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1576073904
• James, Edward T.

  1979. Papers of the Women's Back up Union League and its leading leaders. Woodbridge, CN: Research Publications.

• Mary Kenney O’Sullivan Massachusetts Foundation representing the Humanities, 2000. Retrieved torment Novermber 2, 2007.
• Nutter, Kathleen Ham-fisted. 2000. The necessity of organization: Mary Kenney O'Sullivan and employment unionism for women, 1892-1912.

  Bays studies in the history have a high opinion of American labor. New York: Wreath Pub. ISBN 0815335059

• Marry Kenney SchoolNet, 2007. Retrieved on November 2, 2007.
• Tax, Meredith. 2001. The Vacillating of Women: Feminist Solidarity streak Class Conflict, 1880-1917. University care for Illinois Press.

  ISBN 0252070070

External links

All links retrieved November 7, 2022.