Jennie E. Kennedy
{{Short description|American clubwoman and suffragist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jennie E. Kennedy
| image = File:Mrs._Julian_Kennedy_(Jennie_E._Kennedy)_published_on_November_18,_1917.jpg
| caption = Mrs. Julian Kennedy, 1917
| occupation = Clubwoman and suffragist
| other names = Jennie Breneman, Mrs. Julian Kennedy
| birth_name = Jane Eliza Breneman
| birth_date = November 24, 1852
| birth_place = Mahoning County, Ohio
| death_date = February 7, 1930
| death_place = St. Petersburg, Florida
| parents = Joseph Breneman and Elizabeth (Linn) Breneman
| spouse = Julian Kennedy
}}
Jennie Eliza Kennedy (born Breneman November 24, 1852 - February 7, 1930) was an American clubwoman and suffragist. Kennedy was one of the activists that helped create the "Pittsburgh Plan" as a women's suffrage strategy.
Biography
Born as Jane Eliza Breneman in Mahoning County, Ohio, Jennie E. Kennedy was a daughter of Joseph Breneman and Elizabeth (Linn) Breneman of Poland Township, Mahoning County.{{Cite news|date=1930-02-08|title=Mrs. Julian Kennedy|pages=28|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74126049/obituary-for-kennedy-aged-75/|access-date=2021-03-22|via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Pittsburgh's Women's Suffrage Centennial|url=https://pittsburghpa.gov/womens-suffrage/index.html|access-date=2021-03-22|website=Pittsburgh's Women's Suffrage Centennial|language=en}}
She married Julian Kennedy in 1878. They were the parents of: Lucy B. Kennedy (1879–1962), a graduate of Vassar College who later married John O. Miller; Joseph Walker Kennedy (1884–1950), a graduate of Yale University who went into business with his father; Julian Kennedy (1886–1955); Eliza Jane Kennedy (1889–1964), a graduate of Vassar who later wed R. Templeton Smith,"[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57610052/miss-eliza-j-kennedys-engagement/ Miss Eliza J. Kennedy's Engagement Announced]." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Gazette Times (Pittsburgh), 1915-05-19, p. 15. and Thomas Walker Kennedy (1894–1922), who studied at Cornell University.{{Sfn|Jordan|1916|p=2255}} In 1922, her son Thomas died the day after Christmas in Schenectady, New York."[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/86507193/ Kennedy, Thomas Walker]." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Post, 1922-12-28, p. 14 (subscription required).
Kennedy was one of the founding members{{Sfn|Jordan|1916|p=2256}} of the Equal Franchise Federation of Pittsburgh and hosted meetings in her home.{{Cite news|date=1917-10-28|title=Convention Leaders Elected by Women|pages=14|work=Pittsburgh Daily Post|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74180855/pittsburgh-daily-post/|access-date=2021-03-23|via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news|date=1917-10-26|title=Suffrage Meeting|pages=18|work=The Gazette Times|location=Pittsburgh|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74181250/pittsburgh-post-gazette/|access-date=2021-03-23|via=Newspapers.com}} Kennedy, along with Jennie Bradley Roessing, and Mary E. Bakewell created the "Pittsburgh Plan" for women's suffrage strategies in Pennsylvania.{{Cite journal|last=Springer|first=Eric W.|date=Spring 2008|title=Standing the Test of Time|url=https://pittsburghquarterly.com/articles/standing-the-test-of-time/|journal=Pittsburgh Quarterly}} On May 2, 1914, she was the leader or "Boss of the Road" of the suffrage parade in Pittsburgh.{{Cite web|last=Orban|first=Michael|last2=Everly|first2=Patricia|date=1996|title=Recreating a Suffragette Parade|url=https://carnegiemuseums.org/magazine-archive/1996/novdec/rsrh2.htm|access-date=2021-03-22|website=Carnegie Museums}} This parade was considered "massive" and ended with a rally that included 30 speakers on women's suffrage. Kennedy also hosted Carrie Chapman Catt at her home when she visited Pittsburgh.{{Cite news|date=1917-11-18|title=Mother and Daughter Entertain|pages=62|work=The Pittsburgh Press|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74179333/the-pittsburgh-press/|access-date=2021-03-23|via=Newspapers.com}}
Her daughters, Lucy Kennedy Miller and Eliza Kennedy Smith, were also active members of the women's suffrage movement. By 1915, Lucy Miller had become president of the Equal Franchise Federation of Pittsburgh while Eliza had been appointed chair of the federation's membership committee.O'Rourke, Meg. "[https://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2020/10/04/Eliza-Smith-Brown-Squirrel-Hill-architectural-historian-author-She-Devils-At-the-Door/stories/202009280004 Proud of her forebears, Eliza Smith Brown is making spaces and history of her own]." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2020-10-04."Miss Eliza J. Kennedy's Engagement Announced," The Gazette Times (Pittsburgh), 1915-05-19, p. 15."[https://pghsuffrage100.com/about-us/ Lucy Kennedy Miller]," in "PGHSuffrage100." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Suffrage Centennial Committee, Office of the Mayor, 2020.
Death and legacy
Jennie E. Kennedy died in St. Petersburg, Florida, during a vacation on February 7, 1930. Her estate, which was valued at $200,000, was divided between her husband and children, according to newspaper accounts regarding the probating of her will."[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/88824918/ Woman Leaves $200,000 Estate: Mrs. Kennedy Distributes Property to Husband and Four Children by Will]." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1930-04-07, p. 2 (subscription required).
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
= Sources =
- {{Cite book|last=Jordan|first=John W.|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofpe07jord/page/n33/mode/2up|title=Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography: Illustrated|publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company|year=1916|location=New York|via=Internet Archive}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Jennie E.}}