O’Reilly, Leonora (1870-1927), was an American labor leader and reformer. She became well known as a lecturer and union organizer. O’Reilly strongly supported vocational training for girls.
O’Reilly was born on Feb. 16, 1870, in New York City and went to work in a shirt collar factory at the age of 11. In 1897, she helped organize a local garment workers’ union. From 1902 until 1909, O’Reilly taught at the Manhattan Trade School for Girls, where she developed a strong belief in vocational education.
In 1903, O’Reilly helped establish the National Women’s Trade Union League. This organization promoted laws to protect the rights of women factory workers. It also aided in the establishment of women’s labor unions. In 1909, O’Reilly helped lead a strike in New York City by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union. Thousands of garment workers won wage increases after the five-month strike.
O’Reilly helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. She also was active in the Woman Suffrage Party and the Socialist Party. O’Reilly died on April 3, 1927.
