Rebecca Talbot Perkins (; February 14, 1866 – November 1, 1956) was an American businessperson, philanthropist, and activist from

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. She was the founder of Talbot Perkins Children's Services. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2009.

Early years

Perkins was born Rebecca Clarendon Talbot in

, the daughter of Joseph Talbot and the former Eliza Clarendon.

Career and education

She attended what is now known as the

Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown in the Western Southern Tier of New York State. Established in 1874, the ...

and continued to work there for ten years after graduating. Joseph Talbot founded a real estate brokerage but died of influenza just a few years later, in 1890. Rebecca, still unmarried, took over the business at a time when it was rare for a woman to be in business at all, let alone running a firm. Even while running the brokerage, she maintained an active involvement in charity and social activism. At various times, she led, among other organizations, the Alliance of Women's Clubs of Brooklyn, the People's Political League of Kings County, the Memorial Hospital for Women and Children, and the Welcome Home for Girls. In 1927, she founded (with the Alliance) The Rebecca Talbot Perkins Adoption Society, which later became Talbot Perkins Children's Services.

Personal life

She married Agar Ludlow Perkins on September 5, 1895.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Rebecca Talbot 1866 births 1956 deaths American real estate businesspeople 19th-century American businesspeople Philanthropists from New York (state) American social activists Place of death missing People from Brooklyn Activists from New York (state) 19th-century American businesswomen