Josephine Clara Goldmark (October 13, 1877 – December 15, 1950) was an advocate of labor law reform in the United States during the early 20th century. Her work against child labor and for wages-and-hours legislation (the 8-hour day, minimum wage) was influential in the passage of the Keating–Owen Act in 1916 and the later Fair Labor Standards Act of 1937.

Biography

After graduating from Bryn Mawr College in 1898, Goldmark went to work for Florence Kelley at the National Consumers League (NCL), where she later became the chairman of the committee on labor laws.

Goldmark worked for many years as a researcher of labor conditions and their effects in different working environments. She served as a consulting expert for a number of companies, philanthropies, and government commissions, and she was vice chair of the New York City Child Labor Commission

Goldmark was the youngest of ten children. Her sister, Pauline, was the secretary for the New York City office of the National Consumers League. Her sister, Alice, was married to Louis Brandeis. Josephine Goldmark lived for many years at New York City's Henry Street Settlement.

Publications

  • "Working women and the laws: a record of neglect," in Woman's work and organizations, ed. Emory R. Johnson. Philadelphia: American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1906. Pages 64–78.
  • Labour laws for women in the United States. London: Women's Industrial Council, 1907.
  • Josephine Goldmark, et al. "The Work of the National Consumers' League. During the Year Ending March 1, 1910," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science Vol. 36, Supplement (Sept 1910) pp 1–75 in JSTOR
  • Handbook of laws regulating women's hours of labor. New York: National Consumers League, 1912.
  • Fatigue and efficiency: a study in industry. New York: Survey Associates, 1913.
  • Pilgrims of '48: One man's part in the Austrian revolution of 1848; and a family migration to America. H. Milford, Oxford University Press, 1930.
  • Impatient crusader: Florence Kelley's life story. Urbana: University of Illinois, 1953.
  • Poems, Privately printed, 1958.

References

Further reading

  • Josephine Clara Goldmark (1877-1950).
  • Josephine Clara and Pauline Dorothea Goldmark Papers. Schlesinger Library , Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.