Famous Progressive Women

I am continuing my series of Famous Progressive Women. Read the two posts prior to this on
The Ultimate Activist:Harriet Tubman and
Petra Kelly, Founder of the Green Party.

In rememberance of the November 30 anniversary of her death, today I’m focuing on Mother Jones. Mother Jones was born in Ireland Mary Harris Jones on August 1, 1837. She died on November 30, 1930. She was raised in Canada, became a teacher in Michigan and then a dressmaker in Chicago. She married George Jones in 1861 and they had four children.

Mother Jones experienced some tragedies in her life. She lost all four of her children and her husband in a yellow fever epidemic in Tennesee in 1867. She moved to Chicago shortly after that were she lost her home, shop and belongings in the Chicago fire.

Mother Jones became an activist in her late 50’s when she became interested in labor union issues. She is well known for organizing the wives of striking workers and leading marches, most notably for the United Mine Workers of America and for children’s labor issues.

Mother Jones was a founder of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). In 1905, she was the only woman among 27 persons who signed the manifesto that called for a convention to organize all industrial workers.

At age 93, Mother Jones was still working among striking coal miners in West Virginia. She was an amazing woman of great fortitude, persistence, conviction and a heart of gold.

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, a nationally known labor organizer, called Jones “the greatest woman agitator of our times.” Mother Jones became proud of the label given to her by the U.S. Senate as “he grandmother of all agitators”.

Much of the information above was obtained from these websites on Mother Jones:
About.com
The Miner’s Angel
The Autobiography of Mother Jones
Mary Harris (Mother) Jones: c. 1837-1930
Mother Jones