United States
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Grace Abbott
Grand Island (Nebraska), United States
Archival Overview
Champion of immigrants' rights and child welfare who directed the Immigrants' Protective League, led the federal enforcement of the first federal child labor laws, and helped draft the historic Social Security Act of 1935.
Biographical Record
Grace Abbott (1878–1939) lived at Hull House alongside her sister Edith, dedicating her early career to protecting newly arrived European immigrants from exploitation by crooked employment agencies and banks as director of the Immigrants' Protective League.
Succeeding Julia Lathrop as Chief of the US Children's Bureau in 1921, Abbott administered the Sheppard-Towner Act, the first federally funded healthcare program in America, which dramatically lowered rural maternal and infant death rates. She later played a central role in drafting the child welfare provisions of the 1935 Social Security Act.
Key Life Milestones
Directing the Immigrants' Protective League
Established protective networks in Chicago safeguarding hundreds of thousands of arriving immigrants.
Drafting the Child Welfare Provisions of the Social Security Act
Helped author the landmark Social Security Act provisions establishing federal aid for dependent children.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialGrand Island (Nebraska), United States