Madeline McDowell Breckinridge | |
|---|---|
 Madeline McDowell Breckinridge, circa 1900 | |
| Born | Madeline McDowell May 20, 1872 |
| Died | November 25, 1920 (aged 48) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Suffragette, 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 women's suffrage movement in Kentucky. She married Desha Breckinridge, editor of the Lexington Herald, which advocated women's rights, and she lived to see the women of Kentucky vote for the first time in the presidential election of 1920. She also initiated progressive reforms for compulsory school attendance and child labor. She founded many civic organizations, notably the Kentucky Association for the Prevention and Treatment of Tuberculosis, an affliction from which she had personally suffered. She led efforts to implement model schools for children and adults, parks and recreation facilities, and manual training programs.
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.