North America

Mary Ellen Richmond
(August 5, 1861- September 12, 1928)
Belleville, Illinois

Mary Ellen Richmond is known as the founding mother of social casework. She constructed the foundations for the scientific methodology development of professional social work. She searched for the causes of poverty and social exclusion in the interaction between an individual and his or her environment. She started her career with the Charity Organization Society (COS) in Baltimore, Maryland.

Image Caption: Book cover War and Family Solidarity
by Mary Ellen Richmond.

Jane Adams
(September 8, 1860 – May 21, 1935)
Cerdarville, Illinois

Jane Adams started Hull House, the first settlement house in Near West Side, a neighborhood with plenty of
European immigrants. It quickly developed into a real
action center with plenty of room for children,
education for adults, culture and focus on social
progress. Addams not only worked with the poor but
also engaged in political action aimed at establishing new laws to protect them.

Image Caption: 1906 portrait of Jane Adams by George de Forest Brush.