Mary Morton Kehew facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Morton Kehew
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| Born | September 8, 1859 Boston, U.S.
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| Died | February 13, 1918 (aged 58) Boston, U.S.
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| Known for | Labor and social reform |
| Spouse(s) | William Brown Kehew |
Mary Morton Kehew (born September 8, 1859 – died February 13, 1918) was an important American leader. She worked to improve conditions for workers and make society fairer. She was the president of the Women's Educational and Industrial Union. She also helped guide Simmons College as a trustee. Mary Kehew was the very first president of the National Women's Trade Union League. She was also active in the movement for women's right to vote. She also helped people who were blind.
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Her Early Life
Mary Morton Kimball was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 8, 1859. She was one of eight children. Her father, Moses Day Kimball, was a banker. Her mother was Susan Tillinghast Kimball. Mary's grandfather, Marcus Morton, had been a governor of Massachusetts.
Mary was taught at home in Boston and also studied in Europe. On January 8, 1880, she married William Brown Kehew. He was a wealthy oil merchant. Mary and William did not have any children.
Making a Difference: Her Career
Mary Kehew came from a well-known family in Boston. Like many women from similar backgrounds, she spent a lot of her time volunteering. But instead of just doing charity work, she used her social standing and connections to help working women. She was a quiet person and preferred to work behind the scenes. She would talk to lawmakers and ask her rich friends for donations.
Helping Working Women
In 1886, Mary Kehew joined the Women's Educational and Industrial Union (WEIU). This group brought together women from different social classes. Their goal was to make working conditions better for women. Mary was the president of the WEIU from 1892 to 1913. She also led its board from 1914 to 1918.
Under her leadership, the WEIU changed a lot. It stopped being just a charity group. Instead, it focused on teaching and organizing women workers. The WEIU offered legal advice, guidance, classes, and job training. When Simmons College started in 1902, it took over some of the WEIU's job training programs. Mary Kehew was on the first board of trustees for Simmons College.
In 1905, she started the WEIU's research department. This department studied the lives of working women. The information they gathered helped support new laws. These laws dealt with things like lending money, pensions, clean workplaces, and the minimum wage. This research eventually led to the creation of the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Industry.
Forming Unions
In 1894, Mary Kehew worked with Mary Kenney O'Sullivan to start the Union for Industrial Progress. This group was part of the WEIU. It focused on helping women form labor unions. Between 1896 and 1901, this group helped organize unions for laundry workers, bookbinders, and people working in the tobacco and clothing industries.
In 1903, Mary Kehew became the first president of the National Women's Trade Union League. This group supported the creation of labor unions. It also worked hard to get rid of unfair and unsafe "sweatshop" conditions for women.
Fighting for Rights
Mary Kehew served on several government committees. These committees looked into working conditions in Massachusetts. She also gave money and support to many groups working for social change. These included groups helping with baby health and daycares.
She was very active in the movement for women's right to vote. She also worked to help blind people. Mary Kehew was part of the main committee for the Massachusetts Child Labor Commission. This group worked to stop children from being forced to work in dangerous jobs.
Her Legacy
Mary Kehew passed away from a kidney illness on February 13, 1918. She died at her home in Boston. She is buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery. In April of that year, the WEIU held a special service to remember her.
Her friend, Emily Greene Balch, spoke at the service. Emily remembered Mary as "the never failing fairy godmother" of social and labor reform in Boston. The director of the Ohio State School for the Blind also spoke. He said Mary helped start the first work with adult blind people 15 years earlier. John F. Tobin, a union leader, called her a friend of working people. He said her "sympathies were always on the right side."
Mary Kehew is remembered on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail because of her work with the WEIU. She is also featured in a mural called Nine Notable Women. This mural was painted by Ellen Lanyon in 1980. The mural shows nine important women: Anne Hutchinson, Phillis Wheatley, Sister Ann Alexis, Lucy Stone, Mary Baker Eddy, Ellen S. Richards, Mary Morton Kehew, Anne Sullivan, and Melnea Cass.
