Madeline McDowell Breckinridge
Madeline McDowell Breckinridge | |
---|---|
social reformer | |
Relatives | Henry Clay (great-grandfather) Henry Clay Jr. (grandfather) |
Madeline (Madge) McDowell Breckinridge (May 20, 1872 – November 25, 1920) was an American leader of the
In their book, A New History of Kentucky, Lowell H. Harrison and James C. Klotter, state that Breckinridge was the most influential woman in the state. She was named one of the Kentucky Women Remembered in 1996 and her portrait is permanently displayed at the state capitol.
Biography
Early life and family
She was born in Woodlake,
She was one of seven children. There were four boys,
Breckinridge was grandniece of Dr. Ephraim McDowell.[5] Her distant cousin, Laura Clay, founded the Kentucky Equal Rights Association in 1888, of which Breckinridge later became president.[6]
Education
She was educated in
Marriage
On November 17, 1898, Madeline McDowell married
The Breckinridges together used the newspaper's editorial pages to promote political and social causes of the Progressive Era, especially programs for the poor, child welfare and for women's rights.[11] Desha was not a faithful man during their marriage, and as a result Breckinridge escaped her embarrassment by being busy with her civic activities.[12] She was a patient in a Denver, Colorado sanitarium in 1903 and 1904.[6] About 1904, when she was 32 years of age, she suffered a stroke.[8]
Civic activities
She organized a social settlement at Proctor, Kentucky's Episcopal mission with the Gleaners of Christ Church Episcopal from 1899 to 1900.
Breckinridge began working on finding ways to provide services for individuals with tuberculosis in Lexington in 1905, first with the development of a free clinic.[6] She led the efforts within the Associated Charities and Civic League. She founded the Kentucky Association for the Prevention and Treatment of Tuberculosis in 1912, helped establish the Blue Grass Sanitarium in Lexington,[14] by also working with the Fayette County Tuberculosis Association, and served on the state commission until 1916.[6]
Breckinridge chaired the legislative committee of the Kentucky Federation of Women's Clubs in 1908, 1910, and 1912. She worked hard, among other things, in this role to restore the rights of Kentucky women to vote in school board elections[15] even before the 19th Amendment granted full suffrage.[6]
Equal rights
Frustrated by the lack of influence that she and other women had with state politicians regarding social reform, Breckenridge began lobbying the right for women to vote so they would have a greater voice in the political process.[6] From 1912 to 1915 and 1919 to 1920, Breckinridge served as president of the Kentucky Equal Rights Association.[6]
By the mid-1910s, membership of this group had expanded to 119 of the 120 counties in Kentucky. In 1914, Breckinridge along with her cousin Laura Clay spoke to the Kentucky Legislation to introduce a suffrage movement. Breckinridge stated that in the cities women were taking an equal role with men in fighting "political corruption, vice, and faith."
She continued by saying that women had helped in framing laws to make the state better and were placed on commissions because officials knew the women were interested and would do a good job. She finished her speech by appealing to the legislator's sense of justice and asked them to show courage by voting to submit the proposed amendment to the voters.
Although this attempt failed, they were the first women to address a joint session of the Kentucky Legislature. The Herald reported that the two women were not invited to speak because the majority want to hear their speech on suffrage, but because legislators felt they had a duty to inform themselves on the issue.[16]
Women had gained the right to vote in school elections in 1912, based on her lobbying efforts as legislative chair of the Kentucky Federation of Women's Clubs. Breckinridge had argued that Kentucky had an illiteracy rate of over 12%. She went on to argue that the rate was much lower in all other states where women were able to vote in school elections. She also said that men had not taken enough interest in school elections and were not going to the polls and voting. This led to about two-thirds of the district trustees being appointed by county superintendents rather than being elected.[17]
Breckenridge was, between 1913 and 1915, vice president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She spoke about women's suffrage in several states.[6] Breckenridge was also a member of the Fayette Equal Rights Association, which was a chapter of the Kentucky Equal Rights Association. Its goal was to gain state and federal legislation for women's right to vote.[18] A "leading political figure", she was involved with the Woman's Democratic Club of Kentucky.[19]
The most influential woman in the state, she used new tactics, such as suffrage marches, as well as her speaking ability and humor, to gain more support. In a strong voice coming from a slim and often weak body, she told audiences to look at male-led Kentucky, with its poor schools, violence, and corrupt politics, and asked if the question should not be whether women were fit for suffrage but whether men were.[8]
— Lowell H. Harrison and James C. Klotter, A New History of Kentucky
As an example of her humor noted above, she is probably best known for a retort to then Governor James B. McCreary, “Kentucky women are not idiots---even though they are closely related to Kentucky men.” In Kentucky she challenged old-school politicians such as Congressman Ollie James state Senator J. Campbell Cantrill. [20][21]
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ratified in Kentucky on January 6, 1920. Breckinridge campaigned across the country for the Democratic party and [6] she voted in the November 1920 United States presidential election.[22] She turned her efforts, then, on forming the state League of Women Voters from the Kentucky Equal Rights Association. Breckinridge was also a vocal supporter for the League of Nations.[6]
Death and legacy
Breckinridge had been suffering from health problems, including tuberculosis.[14] She had a stroke and died on Thanksgiving Day, 1920 at the age of 48. She was busy on that day preparing donations for the poor.[12] Her papers are held at the University of Kentucky Libraries.[23]
Breckinridge, named one of the Kentucky Women Remembered in 1996,[24] was "regarded by some as militant, was one of Kentucky's most active suffragists and a fervent supporter of the Nineteenth Amendment." She married Lexington Herald editor Desha Breckinridge and together they advocated women's rights in the newspaper with arguments that delineate Kentucky's progressive ideals in this time period.[25] Her portrait is a permanently hung in the capitol's "Kentucky Women Remembered" display.[24]
After her death, Historical Marker #1876 was placed on the grounds of Ashland which is the estate of Henry Clay in Lexington Kentucky. The marker recognizes the contributions that Breckinridge made for women's suffrage. The marker reads: "This descendant of Henry Clay and Ephraim McDowell was born 1872 in Franklin Co; grow up at "Ashland," Clay's home; and married Desha breckinrdge, editor of Lexington Herald. Ill with tuberculosis, she promoted its treatment and cure; and advanced educational opportunities for poor children in Lexinton and entire state; and helped gain voting rights for women. over." The marker was dedicated on October 20, 1992.[26]
Publications
- "Women and the schools". The Democrat. Harrodsburg, Kentucky: Kentucky Federation of Women's Clubs. 1908.
- "The relation of the public schools to Kentucky's commercial development". The Democrat. Harrodsburg, Kentucky: Kentucky Federation of Women's Clubs. 1908.
- A Mother's Sphere. New York: National Woman Suffrage Publishing Co. 1917. OCLC 866988563. - accessible online via the Kentucky Woman Suffrage Project on the H-Kentucky network.
See also
References
- ^ .
- ^ Dr. Thomas D. Clark. "Biographical sketch, Henry Clay". Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- .
- ISBN 978-0-7864-7698-5.
- ISBN 978-0-912839-06-6.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8131-2883-2.
- .
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8131-3708-7.
- .
- .
- ISBN 978-0-8131-7326-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8131-3411-6.
- ^ "Women in Kentucky - Reform: Madeline McDowell Breckenridge". Women in Kentucky. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-912839-06-6.
- ^ Dawson, Kristen (September 14, 2016). "Kentucky white women win school suffrage rights statewide". Kentucky Woman Suffrage Project's Timeline. H-Kentucky Network in H-Net Commons. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- JSTOR 23378346. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- JSTOR 23378346. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ "Fayette Equal Rights Association records, 1917-1920". Lexington, Kentucky: University of Kentucky Libraries, Special Collections. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "Woman's Democratic Club papers, 1910-1945, 1920-1932 (bulk dates)". Lexington, Kentucky: Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ Apple, Lindsey (April 2, 2017). "Madeline McDowell Breckinridge, National Suffrage Leader and Reformer". H Kentucky Humanities and Social Sciences online. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ "Madeline McDowell Breckinridge quote, "Kentucky Women are not Idiots…" – Henry Clay". Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-8131-2875-7.
- ^ "Madeline McDowell Breckinridge Papers, 1867, 1888-1923, 52M3". Lexington, Kentucky: Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ a b "Seventeen Women Honored by State". Daily News. Middlesboro, Kentucky. March 26, 1996. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ Apple, Lindsey (April 2, 2017). "Madeline McDowell Breckinridge, National Suffrage Leader and Reformer". H-Kentucky. H-Net.org. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ Roe, Amy. "Madeline McDowell Breckinridge". Explore Kentucky History. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
Further reading
- "Breckinridge Family Papers, 1752-1965". Library of Congress.
- Encyclopedia of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-403-09981-8.
- James C. Klotter (1986). The Breckinridges of Kentucky, 1760-1981. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky.
- Roe, Amy. "Madeline McDowell Breckinridge". Explore Kentucky History.