Kate Kennedy

Kate Kennedy (1827–1890) was an Irish immigrant who came to United States in the middle of the 19th century. She lived in California where she became a teacher and principal in San Francisco. She is most known for her "equal pay for equal work" campaign in 1874 where she successfully lobbied the California legislature to support female teachers receiving the same pay as their male counterparts. Biography Early years Kate Kennedy was born in Gaskinstown, Ireland in 1827, the daughter of Thomas Kennedy, a gentleman farmer, and Eliza King. She was the middle child of six siblings; one older brother and five younger sisters. She attended a convent school in Navan until she was thirteen when her father died and the family lost their inheritance. With the family unable to send her younger sisters to school, Kennedy began teaching her younger sisters instead. Over time, Kennedy and her sisters learned French; Kennedy went on to learn German, Italian, and Spanish too. The Great Famine (Ireland) of 1845–1849, forced Kennedy, one sister, and her brother to leave Ireland. They arrived in New York City in 1849 where Kennedy and her sister got a job in embroidering; her mother and other sisters joined her in 1851. After a few years in New York, the family moved to California with Kennedy arriving in 1856.