Grundy Reporter

In the Illinois statehouse in March Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) gave special recognition to Jane Addams in honor of Women's History Month.

Addams (1860-1935) was a progressive activist at the turn of the 20th century.

She pioneered the settlement house movement and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931, making her the first American woman to be awarded the prize.

During the World War I era, she became active in pacifist movements. She led the Women's Peace Party and International Congress of Women, both in 1915, and founding the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in 1919.

"I rise today to honor one of Illinois' most prominent social reformers," Haas said in the March 18 video. "Jane Addams had a high standard for everything that she did. 'The excellent becomes permanent,' she said as she worked to enact lasting social change and improve the quality of life of immigrants and the poor."

Haas then emphasized the nationwide scope Haas had at the time.

"President Theodore Roosevelt called her America's most useful citizen," Haas said.

"She called for better living and working conditions for the poor, more education, and was a prominent voice for the drive-in voting rights for women," Haas said, summarizing the primary goals and accomplishments of Addams.

Addams is connected to Illinois due to her founding of the Hull House in Chicago's low-income, working-class west side in 1889. It was the first settlement house in the United States.

Haas's tribute put the Illinois statehouse alongside other government organizations such as The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in commemorating Women's History Month in March.