Florence Kelley

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Florence Kelley (September 12, 1859 - February 17, 1932) was a reformer from Philadelphia who worked for numerous political and social reforms. She was influenced by radical writers such as Marx and Engels, and translated some of their works to English. These writers inspired her to work with the poor, and she went to Hull House to help out in 1892. The next year, Kelley was appointed to serve as Illinois' first factory inspector. In 1899, she created the National Consumers League (NCL), which encouraged consumers to buy products only from companies that met the NCL’s standards of minimum wage and working conditions. Kelley led campaigns that reshaped the conditions under which goods were produced in the United States. Among her accomplishments were the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and laws regulating hours and establishing minimum wages. She was a member of the Intercollegiate Socialist Society, an activist for woman suffrage and African-American civil rights. In 1909 Kelley helped create the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and thereafter became a friend and ally of W.E.B. DuBois.

Publications

The responsibility of the consumer. New York City: National Child Labor Committee, 1908?
The Present Status of Minimum Wage Legislation. New York City: National Consumers' League, 1913.
Modern Industry: in relation to the family, health, education, morality. New York: Longmans, Green 1914.
Women in Industry: the Eight Hours Day and Rest at Night, upheld by the United States Supreme Court. New York: National Consumers' League, 1916.
Twenty Questions about the Federal Amendment Proposed by the National Woman's Party. New York: National Consumers' League, 1922.

External links and references

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