Hutchins, Grace, 1885-1969

Grace Hutchins (1885-1969) was a Communist and radical labor economist who lived and worked in New York City with her partner, Anna Rochester. For several years in the 1920s, they shared a communal home in New York with several other women. Together, Hutchins and Rochester founded the Labor Research Association in 1927. She was the editor of The labor fact book, and she ran for state office in New York on the communist party ticket in 1936 and 1938. Hutchins was active in the labor movement for forty years and wrote three books that had great impact, Jesus Christ and the world today, Women who work, and Labor and silk. She also published numerous articles and pamphlets regarding women, children and capitalism in the United States and abroad.

From the description of Grace Hutchins papers, 1902-1968. (University of Oregon Libraries). WorldCat record id: 57228039

Labor reformer and Communist intellectual Grace Hutchins was born in Boston in 1885 to Susan and Edward Hutchins. She was a descendent of colonial ancestry and the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1898, her parents took her on a trip around the world when she was just 14 years old. After attending Bryn Mawr College, Grace pursued missionary teaching at St. Hilda’s school in China (which she became the principal of during the 1916-1917 school year).

In 1926, Hutchins traveled the world again but this time with her partner Anna Rochester. Together they investigated the situation of women and the status of socialism in other countries. Soon after returning in 1927, Hutchins was one of the women arrested for demonstrating against the executions of Sacco and Vanzetti.

Grace Hutchins was a radical labor economist and proved this through her life’s work. She worked as an investigator for the Bureaus of Women in Industry and helped found the Labor Research Association in 1927. She was the editor of the Labor Fact Book and ran for state office on the communist party ticket in 1936 and 1938.

Hutchins was active in the labor movement for forty years. During this time, she wrote three books that had a great impact, Jesus Christ and the World Today , Women Who Work and Labor and Silk . Besides these three best sellers, she also published multitudes of articles and pamphlets regarding women, children and capitalism in the United States and abroad.

In 1920, Hutchins spent two years living in a community house with five other women. One of these women was Anna Rochester with whom Grace would continue to live for the rest of her life. Together they worked and traveled and dedicated their lives to social justice. According to Janet Lee (Hutchins’ and Rochester’s biographer), Hutchins and Rochester “were a part of [a] cohort of women whose commitment to social activism was integrated with their lesbian orientation.”

Hutchins died in 1969, cared for until the end by long time friend and secretary of the LRA, Bob Dunn.

Source: Lee, Janet. Comrades and Partners: The Shared Lives of Grace Hutchins and Anna Rochester . Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2000.

From the guide to the Grace Hutchins papers, 1902-1968, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)