Emily Greene Balch Born
On this day in 1867, Emily Balch was born in Jamaica Plain. Her parents' affluence and enlightened views allowed her to attend college at a time when few women did. She entered Bryn Mawr in 1886 and graduated with honors three years later. After studying abroad and helping start a settlement house in Boston, she decided on an academic career. She taught at Wellesley for 22 years until her growing political activism and her opposition to U.S. entry into World War I cost her her job. For the rest of her long life, she devoted her talent and energy to organizing women on behalf of world peace. In 1946 her accomplishments were recognized when she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace.
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