The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women

Grace Fryer

An intelligent, politically inclined young woman from Orange who joins the suit with Katherine, Albina, Quinta, and Edna.

Katherine Schaub

An imaginative, sociable dial-painter from Newark who begins work at 14. She aspired to be a writer.

Albina Maggia

Sister to Mollie and Quinta. A devoted dial-painter from an Italian family.

Mollie Maggia

A social and friendly dial-painter. She was one of the first dial-painters to die, and her autopsy later provided valuable evidence of the effects of radium poisoning.

Quinta Maggia

A down-to-earth and friendly dial-painter close with Grace Fryer. She married James McDonald and they had several children before her death.

Edna Hussman

A religious, kind dial-painter who loved music. 

Sabin von Sochocky

The Austrian-born doctor was the founder of USRC and inventor of Undark paint.

Arthur Roeder

A highly successful businessman who moved from treasurer to president of USRC.

Clarence B. Lee

A vice president of USRC.

Edwin Leman

The chief chemist who died of radium poisoning.

George Willis

USRC’s cofounder, with Sabin von Sochocky.

Harold Viedt

A vice president of USRC. 

Dr. Joseph Knef

Mollie Maggia’s dentist, an expert on rare mouth diseases. He later offered to testify against the women in exchange for money and attempted to blackmail USRC.

Dr. Walter Barry

The dentist who treated dial-painter Irene Rudolph.

Dr. Robert Humphries

The doctor at the Orange Orthopedic Hospital.

Dr. Frederick Flinn

The company “doctor” with no license to practice. He deceived the women and created bogus data through incorrect radium testing methods.

Dr. Harrison Martland

The Newark doctor who became county physician. He was the inventor of two tests to detect radium in the body.

Dr. James Ewing, Dr. Lloyd Craver, Dr. Edward Krumbhaar

The doctors appointed by USRC to examine the women.

Dr. Alice Hamilton

A professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, Katherine Wiley’s ally, and colleague of Cecil K. Drinker.

Andrew McBride

The Commissioner of the Department of Labor.

Dr. Cecil K. Drinker and Dr. Katherine Drinker

A husband-and-wife team at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Ethelbert Stewart

The Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Dr. Frederick Hoffman

The investigating statistician at the Prudential Insurance Company.

John Roach

The deputy commissioner of the Department of Labor.

Katherine Wiley

As the executive secretary of the Consumers League in New Jersey, she was a committed advocate for the radium girls.

Lenore Young

An Orange health officer and ally to Katherine Wiley.

Swen Kjaer

The national investigator from the Bureau of Labor Statistics who visited Ottawa.

Dr. Martin Szamatolski

The consulting chemist for the Department of Labor.

Catherine Wolfe Donohue

A devoutly catholic dial-painter who participated in the final suit.

Charlotte Nevins Purcell

A cheerful dial-painter who joined the suit with Catherine and Pearl.

Margaret “Peg” Looney

A popular young woman from a poor Irish family. She was one of the first Ottawa dial-painters to die of radium poisoning.

Mary Ellen “Ella” Cruse

A dial-painter who died very quickly from radium poisoning. Her family filed a suit on her behalf.

Pearl Payne

A slightly older dial-painter who joined the suit with Jay Cook and was part of the final case. She lived to be 98 years old, an anomaly among dial-painters.

Inez Vallat

A dial-painter who joined the suit with lawyer Jay Cook, and died after eight years of agonizing pain.

Marie Rossiter

A dial-painter who took part in the suit with Jay Cook, and a good friend of Charlotte and Catherine.

Joseph Kelly

The Radium Dial president who branched off to start Luminous Materials.

Rufus Fordyce

The Radium Dial vice president.

Mercedes Reed

The dial-painting supervisor and instructor, wife of Rufus Reed.

Rufus Reed

The superintendent who dismissed the women’s concerns.

William Ganley

The Radium Dial executive who wrested control of the company and ousted Kelly and Reed.