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Title
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Jones, Mary "Mother" Harris (1837-1930)
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Jones, Marry G. Harris (1837-1930)
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Birthplace
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Cork, Ireland
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Death Date
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1930-11-30
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Occupation
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Community activist
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Dressmaker
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Labor activist
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Teacher
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Union organizer
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Biographical Text
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Mary G. Harris Jones, also called "Mother Jones," was a union organizer and activist best known for rallying women and children to strike against unfair labor practices. She was born to tenant farmers Richard and Ellen Harris, immigrating to Toronto, Canada as a young child to escape the Irish Potato Famine, where she would attend the Toronto Normal School. In 1859, she moved to Monroe, Michigan to begin a teaching career, but soon left for Chicago, where she married union organizer George E. Jones. The two moved to Memphis, where they had four children, though Jones' entire family was soon lost to yellow fever in 1867. This spurred her decision to return to Chicago as a dressmaker. However, her shop was lost in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Weary of hardship, Jones became increasingly involved in labor unions and activism, evidenced by her association with the Knights of Labor, United Mine Workers, and Socialist Party of America. Her work brought her to both Pennsylvania and West Virginia, where she organized and participated in several strikes against child labor and poor working conditions, leading to multiple arrests throughout the years. Beyond organizing, Jones was also able to successfully negotiate better working conditions for the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company during talks with John D. Rockefeller Jr.
Mary and George Jones were married in 1861 until his death in 1867. Their four children were named Catherine, Elizabeth, Terence, and Mary. Jones passed away in Silver Springs, Maryland (now Adelphi) at the farm of friends Walter and Lillie Burgess, where she had resided during the last few years of her life.
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Contributor
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Raisch, Elly
