About Gatsby Gala

The Life & Legacy of Jane Addams

The Gatsby Gala is a fundraiser of which the proceeds support the Jane Addams Legacy Fund.

Laura Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois, in 1860 on the eve of the Civil War. Tucked into the northwest corner of Illinois, Cedarville, in Jane’s memory, was a place of rural beauty. Jane’s father, John H. Addams, owned a flour mill and a sawmill. President of a bank and director of two railroad companies, he was elected Illinois state senator in 1854 and served eight terms. He was an abolitionist, a Quaker, and a friend of Abraham Lincoln.

Privileged women were just beginning to attend college in the 1870s. Jane hoped to attend Smith, but her father wanted her close to home, so she attended Rockford Female Seminary where he was a trustee, a school noted for graduating missionaries. Jane excelled at the seminary, developing a social conscience, becoming valedictorian, and gaining recognition as a leader.

Jane Addams was a social reformer and advocate for peace, women’s rights, and proper working conditions. Her accomplishments include:

• Founding Hull House
  In 1889, Addams and Ellen Gates Starr opened Hull House in Chicago, one of the first social settlements in North America.

• Lobbying for reform
  Addams lobbied for better urban sanitation, factory laws, and protective labor legislation for women. She also helped establish a juvenile court system.

• Founding the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
  Addams was the first president of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), which she helped found in 1919.

• Receiving the Nobel Peace Prize
  In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in international efforts to end war.

• Serving as president of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections
  Addams was the first woman to hold this position, serving from 1909 to 1915.

• Receiving an honorary degree from Yale
  In 1910, Addams became the first woman to receive an honorary degree from Yale University.

• Supporting the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
  Addams was a member of the NAACP’s executive board.

• Supporting the American Civil Liberties Union
  Addams supported the founding of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920.

• Campaigning for women’s suffrage
  Addams campaigned for women’s suffrage.

Addams was a prolific writer and speaker who had a vital impact on improving lives of the impoverished and marginalized in the early 20th century. She is considered a role model for those who want to improve their communities. Keeping the heart of her legacy alive is an important goal of The Foundation for Northwest Illinois and the intent of The Jane Addams Legacy Fund. Your donations to this fund—including attendance at the Gatsby Gala—helps to further her work and her legacy for years to come.