Mary Dingman was an American social and peace activist, who served as a staff member of the Young Women's Christian Association to develop programs to improve the working conditions of women and children in the workforce.
16 Facts About Mary Dingman
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Mary Dingman was employed as a child welfare advocate by the UN from 1948 until her retirement in 1954.
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Mary Agnes Dingman was born on April 9,1875 in Newark, New Jersey to Nettie Clyde and James Alva Dingman.
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Mary Dingman was the oldest child in the large family which moved to the village of Spring Valley, New York, before her fifth birthday.
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Mary Dingman's father, originally from Canada was a physician and a devout Methodist, who encouraged his children toward humanitarian service, inspiring Dingman and her younger sister, Helen, in their careers.
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Mary Dingman established fifteen Foyers des Allies, or social centers, to provide the women workers with books, writing materials and a communal area in which to socialize when they were not working.
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Mary Dingman was awarded the Adolphe Max Bourgmestre de Bruxelles Medal by Belgium and in 1919 was honored by the French government with the Jeanne D'Arc Liberatrice du Territoire and La Victoire Restaure le Droit plaques for her service.
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In 1921, Mary Dingman moved to London and became the Chief Industrial Secretary of the World YWCA.
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Mary Dingman found conditions in the textile industry similar to those which had existed in England during the Industrial Revolution, with low wages, unsafe conditions, and a labor force dominated by women and children.
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In 1930, when the World YWCA relocated to Geneva, Mary Dingman moved to Switzerland and the following year began to work with pacifist organizations.
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Mary Dingman trained YWCA personnel to oversee the initiatives, which were developed after analyzing each country's labor regulations and safety measures.
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Mary Dingman was elected to head the PCDWIO and represented the organization at the World Disarmament Conference held in 1932.
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Mary Dingman spoke at the League of Nations in 1936 and traveled widely as a lecturer on disarmament.
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Mary Dingman left the presidency of the PDCWIO, though she continued to lecture and tour, speaking on pacifism and improving international relations on behalf of the YWCA.
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Mary Dingman attended the inaugural conference of the World Federation of United Nations Associations in 1946 and in 1948 was appointed a consultant by the UN to work on behalf of the International Union for Child Welfare.
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Mary Dingman worked for the UN until 1954, when she officially retired.