Elizabeth Beardsley Butler (1884–1911) was a pioneering social investigator of the

Progressive Era The Progressive Era (1890s–1920s) was a period in the United States characterized by multiple social and political reform efforts. Reformers during this era, known as progressivism in the United States, Progressives, sought to address iss ...

. She is best known for her contributions to

The Pittsburgh Survey ''The Pittsburgh Survey'' (1907–1908) was a pioneering sociological study of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States funded by the Russell Sage Foundation of New York City. It is widely considered a landmark of the Progressive Era re ...

, a landmark study of social conditions in an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

city.

Life

She was born in New York on 1 December 1884. A 1905 graduate of

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

, she also took courses at the

New York School of Philanthropy The Columbia School of Social Work is the graduate school of social work of Columbia University in New York City. It is one of the oldest social work programs in the US, with roots extending back to 1898. It began awarding a Master of Science d ...

before securing employment as a researcher of wage earners, both female and child, in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, and

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. Beginning in 1907 she worked for

Paul Kellogg Paul Kellogg may refer to: * Paul U. Kellogg (1879–1958), American journalist and social reformer * Paul Axtell Kellogg (1910–1999), Episcopal bishop {{hndis, Kellogg, Paul ...

's Pittsburgh Survey, funded by the

Russell Sage Foundation The Russell Sage Foundation is an American non-profit organisation established by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” It was named after her re ...

. Her resulting book, ''Women and the Trades'', was published in 1909. It was the first large survey of wage-earning women in America and the first of the six volumes of the Survey. Butler died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

at age 26 in

Saranac Lake, New York Saranac Lake is a village in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,887, making it the largest community by population in the Adirondack Park.U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Saranac Lake village, New ...

. Her final book, ''Saleswomen in Mercantile Stores: Baltimore, 1909'', was posthumously published by the Russell Sage Foundation in 1912.

References

1884 births 1911 deaths American social sciences writers Barnard College alumni Columbia University School of Social Work alumni 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in New York (state) {{US-nonfiction-writer-stub