Florence kelley brief biography of williams

Florence Kelley (1859 – 1932): Social Reformer, Child Welfare Advocate, Socialist and Pacifist

Introduction: Florence Kelley was a social reformer and political activist who defended the rights of working women and children. She served as the first general secretary of the National Consumers League and helped form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.

Kelley was born on September 12, 1859 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of U.S. congressman William Darrah Kelley (1814-1890). Her father was an abolitionist of strict principles. He taught his daughter about child workers, and several times took her to see young children working in steel and glass factories under dangerous conditions. These visits would influence Kelley in her decision to turn toward advocacy for child labor reform.

In 1876, at the age of sixteen, Kelley enrolled at Cornell University. Due to illness that forced her to leave college for over two years, she did not graduate until 1882. After one year spent in teaching evening classes in Philadelphia, Kelley went to Europe to continue with her studies. At the University of Zürich she came under the influence of European socialism, particularly the works of Karl Marx. In 1887 she published a translation of Friedrich Engels’s The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844.

Kelley married in 1884 to a Russian medical student, Lazare Wischnewetzky, and moved with him to New York City two years later. The couple separated in 1889 and Kelley moved to Chicago with her three children. After obtaining a divorce, she reverted to her maiden name.

Social Welfare Career:  In 1891 Kelley joined Jane Addams, Julia Lathrop, Ellen Gates Starr, and other women at Hull House.  Kelley’s first job after coming to the Hull House settlement was to visit the area around the settlement, surveying the working conditions in local factories. She found children as youn

Florence Kelley’s education was directed first by her father, a Congressman for thirty five years from Pennsylvania, called Pig Iron Kelley because he represented the iron and steel districts of Pennsylvania and was fiercely protectionist, voting in favor of tariffs to shield the industry from competition from abroad.

The question of tariffs and of whether the United States currency and banking deposits should be backed by gold or silver were the burning policy questions of the 1890’s. A prominent abolitionist, Congressman Kelley lived through the Civil War and bore witness to the economic and political devastation which followed.

William Darrah Kelley was himself a self-educated man. His widowed mother sent him out as an apprentice as soon as he was old enough. Before that he worked as a runner and a proofreader. His father, David Kelley, a expert watchmaker and jeweler of some renown, suffered severe financial losses after the War of 1812. He endorsed a note for his brother in law who defaulted on the debt, bringing financial ruin on David Kelley, who fell upon the street and died at age 32, probably of a stroke or heart attack.

The family was forced into bankruptcy, with a sheriff’s sale of all of their goods, except his father’s tools which were hidden. William Darrah Kelley was two, and there were three sisters. His mother did what women then often did in those circumstances, with the help of another brother in law – not the one who defaulted on the note – she opened a boarding house. Many single workers and recent immigrants needed room and board in Philadelphia, and other places, such as Chicago, which attracted large numbers of single men and women from other parts of America and abroad.

At age eleven Florence Kelley’s father was taken out of school to go to work for a dollar a week, first as an errand boy at a lottery office, then at a bookstore, where at least he could read, and then to an umbrella m

1859 – 1932

In a moment of weakness, I agreed to write something about my aunt Florence Kelley Worgan for the Historical Society’s project on Little Compton women. Somehow my brief expanded to include write-ups about my great-grandmother, the original Florence Kelley, aka ”Granny,” for whom Aunt Florie was named, and my grandmother, Augusta Maverick Kelley. I tried unsuccessfully to fob all of this onto others – either Lucy O’Connor or my sister Debby Kelley would have made a much better choice, but neither was available. Mike and Heather Steers did a fair amount of digging and composed an early draft, but they obviously couldn’t fill in a lot of the blanks without knowing the family stories. But I didn’t know an awful lot about these three women for purposes of this project. For example, I had found a suffragist medal in my grandmother’s things while cleaning out her house, but I had no idea she had been as active in the movement as she was. The more time I spent on the project, the more I realized how little I knew about them, even with the contributions of my sisters Debby and Susie, cousins Steve O’Connor and Lloyd Macdonald, and the Steerses. I regret so much not asking more questions when I had the chance.

A friend thought perhaps I should lead off with Aunt Florie as there are still many people in Little Compton who knew her.  But the chronological approach seemed best as Granny Florence and my grandmother had to have been important models for Florie in helping explain Florie’s remarkable career.  

One more introductory word. I understand this exhibition is presented in honor of the 100 anniversary of the 19 Amendment and focuses on women with Little Compton connections. For those keeping score at home, we believe Granny rarely visited Little Compton, but she was a leader in the national suffragist movement. Grandmother met her future husband in Little Compton and spent every summer of her life here after they married.

American activist (1859–1932)

For the author and journalist, see Florence Finch Kelly.

Florence Moltrop Kelley (September 12, 1859 – February 17, 1932) was an American social and political reformer who coined the term wage abolitionism. Her work against sweatshops and for the minimum wage, eight-hour workdays, and children's rights is widely regarded today.

From its founding in 1899, Kelley served as the first general secretary of the National Consumers League. In 1909, Kelley helped to create the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Early life

On September 12, 1859, Kelley was born to William D. Kelley (1814–1890) and Caroline Bartram Bonsall in Philadelphia. Her father was an abolitionist, a founder of the Republican Party, a judge, and a longtime member of the US House of Representatives. His nickname was "Pig Iron."

Kelley was influenced mainly by her father and said, "I owe him everything that I have ever been able to learn to do." Throughout her early years, he read books to her that involved child labor. Even at 10, she was educated by her father on his activities, and she was able to read her father's volume, The Resources of California.

Caroline Bartram Bonsall, Kelley's mother, was not a less prominent figure. Bonsall was related to the famous Quaker botanist, John Bartram. Bonsall's parents died at a young age, s