America’s Greatest Father-Daughter Political Dynasty: A Smithsonian Affiliations Virtual Scholar Talk

This talk explores America’s greatest father-daughter political dynasty, congressman William “Pig Iron” Kelley and his daughter, labor activist Florence Kelley. Will Kelley campaigned for abolition, women’s suffrage, workers’ rights, voting rights, and many more causes in the 19th century, and raised his daughter to carry on his legacy, even though she could not vote or hold office. Florence Kelley emerged as a combative force in her own right, fighting child labor, helping to found the NAACP and start Social Security. Over two colorful lives – packed with campaigns and crusades, friendships and feuds, assassination attempts and divorces – father and daughter educated (and exasperated) each other, forming a rocky but crucial bond that shaped American public life for over a century, and providing an inspiring model for father-daughter relationships.