Sophonisba Breckinridge
| Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge | |
|---|---|
Lawyer, educator, social scientist, civil rights activist
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| Born | April 1, 1866 Lexington, Kentucky |
| Died | July 30, 1948 (aged 82) Chicago, Illinois |
| Occupation | economist, social work researcher, political scientist, lawyer, suffragist, mathematics teacher, diplomat |
| Parent(s) | Issa Desha Breckinridge (1843–1892) and William Campbell Preston Breckinridge (1837–1904) |
Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge (April 1, 1866 – July 30, 1948) was an American activist, Progressive Era social reformer, social scientist and innovator in higher education. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in political science and economics then the J.D. at the University of Chicago, and she was the first woman to pass the Kentucky bar. President Roosevelt in 1933 sent her as a delegate to the 7th Pan-American Conference in Uruguay - making her the first woman to represent the U.S. government at an international conference. She led the process of creating the academic professional discipline and degree for social work.
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Sophonisba "Nisba" Preston Breckinridge was a member of the politically active and socially prominent Kentuckian elite, Desha family and Breckinridge family. She was the second child of seven of Issa Desha Breckinridge, the second wife of Col. William C.P. Breckinridge, a member of Congress from Kentucky, editor and a lawyer. Her paternal grandfather was the abolitionist minister Robert Jefferson Breckinridge; her maternal grandfather was General Joseph Desha, a U.S. Representative and the ninth governor of Kentucky. Her great-grandfather was John Breckinridge, the United States Attorney General. Her cousin, John C. Breckinridge, a vice president during Buchanan's presidency, ran against Abraham Lincoln in 1860 presidential election. At fourteen, she attended the Kentucky Agricultural & Mechanical College (later called the University of Kentucky) when it opened to women in 1880. She was not allowed to be degree-seeking, but she studied there for four years.
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