Hull, Irene B.

A longtime labor union and political activist based in Seattle, Washington, Irene Hull (born 1913), is well known for her work on behalf of child care, trade unions, and in the peace movement, as well as for her early involvement with the Communist Party (and subsequent harassment for those activities).

Born in Republic, Kansas, Hull came to Washington State during World War II and worked in shipyards in Vancouver, Washington and also taught in child care centers in Vancouver and Seattle. At the end of the war, nurseries funded by the Lanham Act were slated to close. Hull joined the Citizens' Child Care Committee, which was headed by Marijo Lawrence; the group was successful in persuading the Seattle School Board to keep the nursery program going for three years after the war. A peace activist since 1960, Hull was a member of Seattle Women Act for Peace and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. In 1969, Hull joined the Grassroots Assembly of Women, an organization established in 1968 by Jeanette Rankin. Hull also was active in the labor movement, particulary with the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). CLUW was founded to organize affirmative action for women and people of color, and encourage women's involvement in union activities. Hull served for several years as chair of the Seattle Chapter's publicity committee and as its corresponding secretary into the 1990s. Duing the early 1990s, she also was as a member of the Advisory Council of the Evergreen State College Labor Education and Research Center. Seattle Mayor Norm Rice proclaimed September 7, 1996 Irene Hull day in honor of her accomplishments.