Abbott, Grace

Abbott, Grace

(1878–1939) social worker, activist; born on Grand Island, Nebr. She studied at the Universities of Nebraska and Chicago and in 1908 went to live at Chicago's Hull House to head the Immigrants' Protective League. Author of forceful articles exposing the exploitation of immigrants, she also campaigned for child labor laws, and as director of the federal Children's Bureau (from 1919), she administered grants to provide health care for mothers and children. She was president of the National Conference of Social Workers (1923–24), an adviser to the League of Nations (1922–34), and professor of public welfare at the University of Chicago (1934–39).

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.