Jean Spahr
American social reformer
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Jean Gurney Spahr (née Fine; 1861 – September 25, 1935) was an American social reformer. A pioneer in the U.S. settlement movement, she was a co-founder and officer of the College Settlements Association (CSA),[1] and the head of the Rivington Street Settlement in New York City.
1861
Jean Spahr | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jean Gurney Fine 1861 |
| Died | September 25, 1935 (aged 73–74) New York City, USA |
| Other name | Jean Fine Spahr |
| Education | Smith College |
| Organization | Rivington Street Settlement |
| Known for | Social reform |
| Movement | Settlement movement |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 daughters |
| Relatives | Henry Burchard Fine (brother) |
Early life and education
Jean Gurney Fine was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 1861. Her parents were Lambert Suydam and Mary Ely (Burchard) Fine.[2] Her siblings included the educators, Henry Burchard Fine, John B. Fine, and May Margaret Fine.[3]
She graduated from Smith College with a B.A. degree in 1883.[2]
Career
Spahr taught at Clinton College (Kentucky, 1883–1885); and at the Brearley School (New York City, 1885–1889).[2]
After teaching at Brearley School, Spahr went to London and visited Toynbee Hall where she became acquainted with the British-model of the settlement movement. Back in New York City in 1889, Spahr shared the idea with other college women and proposed the establishment of a settlement home in the city's Lower East Side at 95 Rivington Street.[4] Spahr became the headworker of the New York College Settlement from 1889 until her marriage in 1892,[2] to Charles B. Spahr, a co-founder of the University Settlement Society of New York.[5]
Her focus was not on "do something for" the poor, but rather living with them and seeing them as equals. After her marriage, she continued as a director of the settlement.[4] In 1935, she was serving as honorary president of the "Art Workshop for Industrial and College Women", a change in programming initiated by the New York College Settlement five years earlier.[6][7]
Spehr was a member of the Smith College Alumnae Association, and served as president of the Present Day Club of Princeton.[2] She was also active in woman's suffrage work.[4]
Personal life and death
On July 5, 1892, at Princeton, New Jersey, she married Charles Barzillai Spahr, Ph.D. (1860–1904), political economist,[8] author, and associate editor of the Outlook. They had five daughters: Margaret (b. 1893), Elizabeth Fine (b. 1894), Mary Burchard (b. 1896), Jean Gurney (b. 1899), and Helen Thayer (b. 1902).[2]
In religion, she was a Presbyterian.[2]
Jean Spahr died of pneumonia in New York City on September 25, 1935.[9] In her will, she bequeathed US$10,000 for the endowment of graduate fellowships at Smith College.[10][11]
