Jane Addams

The daughter of a prosperous Illinois businessman, Jane Addams longed to do something meaningful with her life, yet found herself shut out of most professions because of her gender. In 1889, she decided to use her inheritance from her late father to help found the pioneering settlement house, Hull House, where she and a dedicated staff of volunteers, most of them college-educated women like herself, lived and worked among some of Chicago's most destitute residents. Through works likes this, Addams became one of the most celebrated women in U.S. history. A tireless social and political reformer, feminist, and antiwar activist, Addams was also the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Learn more about her inspiring life in Jane Addams.