John H. Addams - Influence On Jane Addams

Influence On Jane Addams

Jane Addams stated that her father, John, was a primary influence in her life. In her 1910 autobiography she described various ways in which she attempted to imitate her father, as well as establishing him as her primary influencer. She stated that her father was her reason for civic involvement and interest in the "moral concerns of life." It was Addams' deep civic involvement that had such a profound influence on his daughter, Jane. John Addams was active in the Cedarville School Board and a trustee of the Rockford Young Ladies' Seminary, later known as Rockford College, where Jane would earn her undergraduate degree. Besides his role in founding the state's Republican Party he was also one of the key individuals who helped bring the second Lincoln-Douglas Debate to Freeport.