Sophonisba Breckinridge
Country
United States
Birth - Death
1866 - 1948
Occupation
Activist, Lawyer, Academic
Description
Political activist and suffragette. The first woman to earn a Ph.D. in political science and economics at the University of Chicago, and she was the first woman to pass the Kentucky bar. The first woman to represent the U.S. government at an international conference when she represented the United States at the 1933 Pan-American Conference. Worked with Jane Addams at the Hull House project. Helped found the Chicago Women’s Trade Union League and the Chicago Chapter of the NAACP. Tenured Professor at the University of Chicago, and dean in the College of Arts, Literature and Science (1923-1929). Developed the Social Security Act under the administration of President Roosevelt as part of The New Deal program. Authored many books including 'The Delinquent Child and the Home', 'Family Welfare Work in a Metropolitan Community', 'Public Welfare Administration', 'The Family and the State', and 'Social Work and the Courts'.
