A lifelong social activist, Maude Miner Hadden strove for the betterment of society through peaceful social change.  From her earliest years, Maude Miner knew she was destined for social work and focused upon developing those attributes which would best serve others.  After completing her college and graduate education, Ms. Miner entered her first career teaching math, sociology and history at various colleges and universities.

Concern for the welfare of wayward young women led to Maude Miner's second career as a probation officer.  Sensing that more needed to be done to help teenage women become better adjusted and more productive members of society, Ms. Miner established Waverly House, a youth shelter, in 1908.  That same year, the Girl's Service League was also introduced to help prevent teenage delinquency through organized activities.  Later on, a psychiatric clinic was added to Waverly House so that the root causes of social maladjustment could be diagnosed.  It was during these years that Maude met her life-long partner, Alexander Mectier Hadden, also a social activist dedicated to improving the lot of the unfortunate.  Alexander had spent most of his life working with prisoners, young working men, and college students.

During a honeymoon voyage around the world, the Haddens arrived in Geneva, Switzerland in the summer of 1924 where they came into contact with university students who expressed a keen interest in issues pertaining to international peace and security.  What the students lacked was a formal organization and meeting place where such issues could be studied in a systematic way.  Deciding to forego the remainder of their trip, the Haddens returned to New York and set about laying the foundation for an international student organization dedicated to helping young people gain a better understanding of issues in world politics.  Thus, the inception of what would eventually become the Institute of World Affairs.  The idea of the Institute was based on the conviction that lasting peace can only be achieved through the development of future world leaders engaged in the promotion of mutual understanding.   Headquartered in Geneva, the Students' International Union as it was originally known, officially opened on January 1, 1925.  Mrs. Hadden also founded the Palm Beach Round Table in 1933 which provided international programs for area residents and helped raise funds for a summer seminar program for university students.

In addition to founding and working closely with the Institute of World Affairs and the Palm Beach Round Table, Mrs. Hadden also found the time to write two poetry collections, Garnet Rock and High Horizons, as well as her autobiography, Quest for Peace.  In 1957, Mrs. Hadden and the Institute of World Affairs were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.  After several decades of tireless work for the cause of international peace, Maude Miner Hadden passed away in 1967, at the age of 86.  Her efforts to create a more peaceful world will not soon be forgotten and her memory is enshrined in the enduring legacy of the Institute of World Affairs.