Gillespie, Mabel (1877–1923)

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Gillespie, Mabel (1877–1923)

American labor activist. Born Mabel Edna Gillespie, May 4, 1877, in St. Paul, Minnesota; died Sept 24, 1923, in Boston, Massachusetts; dau. of James and Ida (Scott) Gillespie; orphaned at an early age, raised by an aunt in Concord; attended Radcliffe College, 1898–1900.

Was only person to serve on Minimum Wage Commission, MA, during its existence (1913–19); became organizer and 1st president of the Stenographers' Union (1917); became 1st woman on executive board of MA State Federation of Labor (1918); served on executive board of WTUL (1919–22).

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