Breckinridge, Madeline McDowell (1872–1920)
Breckinridge, Madeline McDowell (1872–1920)
American social reformer and suffragist. Born Magdalen McDowell, May 20, 1872, at Woodlake, Kentucky; died Nov 25, 1920, in Kentucky; dau. of Henry Clay McDowell and Anne (Clay) McDowell; attended State College of Kentucky (now University of Kentucky); m. Desha Breckinridge (lawyer brother of Sophonisba Breckinridge), Nov 17, 1898.
Became a founding member of, and principal participant in, Lexington Civic League; raised funds for construction, planned design, and supervised staffing of the Abraham Lincoln School and Social Center; with Civic League, worked to secure state legislation restricting child labor and establishing juvenile court system (1906); served as director of Lexington Associated Charities (1907–20); served in many Kentucky anti-Tuberculosis organizations and helped win legislative and public support for state sanatorium; served as president of Kentucky Equal Rights Association (1912–15 and 1919–20) and vice president of National American Woman Suffrage Association (1913–15); conducted speaking tour in support of Democratic Party and League of Nations (1920).
See also Sophonisba P. Breckinridge, Madeline McDowell Breckinridge (U. of Chicago Press, 1921).