a biography of the day-maud o'farrell swartz (suffragist, trade unionist)
Happy Birthday, Maud O’Farrell Swartz. An Irish immigrant, Swartz became a suffragist here in the States. Swartz became a strong voice in the Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL) and in the labor movement. Swartz served as president of the WTUL from 1922-1926, during a period when the organizing efforts declined in a business climate less friendly to unions–sound familiar? Wisconsin and Maine must not be too familiar with history.
http://hulshofschmidt.wordpress.com/tag/womens-trade-union-league/
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About Maud O'Farrell Swartz:
An Irish immigrant from a family that was poor but of the gentry, Maud Swartz was educated in convent schools in Germany and Paris, and worked briefly as a governess before emigrating. In America, she worked as a proofreader. She met and married printer Lee Swartz and soon separated from him, never divorcing for religious reasons.
Work in the suffrage movement led to a friendship with Rose Schneiderman, and, though Maud Swartz remained connected to some well-to-do American relatives, she became active in the Women's Trade Union League and in the labor movement, often working with Rose Schneiderman. Maud's knowledge of languages was especially useful in working with immigrant women seeking workmen's compensation for workplace injuries.
Maud Swartz served as president of the WTUL from 1922-1926, during a period when the organizing efforts declined in a business climate less friendly to unions and a move by the organization more into reform through legislative channels. In 1931 she went to work for Frances Perkins in the New York State Department of Labor, and served until struck in 1937 with a heart attack.
Maud Swartz and Rose Schneiderman had a long-term personal and professional relationship that in today's world might be described as a domestic partnership.
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/wtulwomen/p/maud_swartz.htm
