Juanita Breckenridge Bates

Juanita Breckenridge was born in Hopewell, Rivoli Township, Mercer County, Illinois on December 31, 1860.{{sfn|Leonard|1914|p=83}}{{sfn|U. S. Census|1870|pp=1-2}} She was the daughter of Hugh and Mary (Watson) Breckenridge.{{sfn|Leonard|1914|p=83}} Her father was a Methodist minister.{{sfn|Hassey|1986|p=67}}

She was educated at Rock Island High School, Wheaton College (B.S.), and Oberlin College Theological Seminary (1891, B.D.). While at Oberlin, she was a member of Ladies' Literary Society.{{sfn|Leonard|1914|p=83}}

In Spring, 1890, she applied to the Cleveland Congregational Conference for a license to preach. Her case was made the test case to determine the policy of the denomination and the license was granted at the fall conference, 1890, after six months of discussion. She was ordained at Brookton, New York, on June 28, 1892.{{sfn|Leonard|1914|p=83}} The ordination sermon was preached by her brother, Rev. W. W. Breckenridge, and the charge was given by the venerable Rev. Thomas K. Beecher. Brookton was the first charge of Rev. Annis F. Eastman, and the congregation was so pleased with her ministry that they called Breckenridge to succeed her.

{{sfn|American Woman Suffrage Association|1892|p=137}}

On September 27, 1893, she married Hon. Frederick E. Bates in New Windsor, Illinois.{{sfn|Leonard|1914|p=83}} At that time, she resigned from her Congregational Church position as she intended to visit her mother in the midwest.{{sfn|New York State Historical Association|1974|p=1946}}

Bates chaired the Suffrage Party in Ithaca, New York,{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Michael|title=On the eve of a potentially historic election, Ithacans commemorate local suffragette|url=https://ithacavoice.com/2016/11/52448/|access-date=5 October 2017|work=The Ithaca Voice|date=8 November 2016}} and was a leader of Tompkins County, New York in New York state's campaign for woman suffrage. The city of Ithaca and Tompkins County carried for suffrage.{{sfn|Oberlin College for the Alumni Association|1915|p=82}}

She was interested in Sabbath School, The Social Service League, Y.W.C.A. work, and both home and foreign mission work. She served as first vice-president of the Ithaca Political Study Club; was a member of Susquehanna Ministerial Association, New York State Congregational Conference; and was a director of New York State Federation of Women's Clubs, Ithaca Woman's Club, Political Study Club, City Federation of Women's Organizations of Ithaca.{{sfn|Leonard|1914|p=83}}

She married Frederick Bates in 1893. He served as mayor of Ithaca in 1916.{{sfn|New York State Historical Association|1974|p=1946}}{{cite web|last1=Kestenbaum|first1=Lawrence|title=The Political Graveyard: Ithaca, New York|url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ofc/ithaca.html|website=politicalgraveyard.com|access-date=5 October 2017}} They had two children, Juanita and Abraham.{{sfn|New York State Historical Association|1974|p=1946}} Frederick died in 1922, and Bates managed the large estate left by her husband.{{sfn|New York State Historical Association|1974|p=1946}}

Bates died June 11, 1946,{{sfn|Hassey|1986|p=67}} in Ithaca,{{sfn|New York State Historical Association|1974|p=1946}} and was buried in Lake View Cemetery.

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{Source-attribution| {{cite book|author=American Woman Suffrage Association|title=The Woman's Column|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pStOAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP137|edition=Public domain|year=1892|publisher=American Woman Suffrage Association}} }}
• {{Source-attribution| {{cite book|last=Leonard|first=John W.|title=Woman's Who's who of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada, 1914-1915|url=https://archive.org/details/womanswhoswhoam00leongoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/womanswhoswhoam00leongoog/page/n74 83]|edition=Public domain|year=1914|publisher=American commonwealth Company}} }}
• {{Source-attribution| {{cite journal|author=Oberlin College for the Alumni Association|title=Oberlin Alumni Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I9_OAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA82|edition=Public domain|volume=12|issue=3|year=1915|publisher=Oberlin College for the Alumni Association}} }}

• {{cite book|last=Hassey|first=Janette|title=No Time For Silence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IQADYyzZQHMC&pg=PT67|publisher=Christians for Biblical Equality Bookstore|isbn=978-1-939971-10-4|year=1986}}
• {{cite book|last=Kammen|first=Carol|title=Ithaca: A Brief History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zXF0CQAAQBAJ&pg=PT97|date=20 October 2008|publisher=Arcadia Publishing Incorporated|isbn=978-1-61423-067-0}}
• {{cite book|author=New York State Historical Association|title=New York History: Quarterly Journal of the New York State Historical Association|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ljIoAQAAMAAJ|volume=55|year=1974|publisher=New York State Historical Association}}
• {{cite web |ref={{harvid|U. S. Census|1870}} |author= |title=U.S. Federal Census: Rivoli Township, Mercer County, Illinois |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SPJ-F7?cc=1438024 |access-date=August 3, 2019 |website=FamilySearch |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |date=July 18, 1870 |location=Washington, D. C. |pages=1–2 |id=NARA Series M593, Roll 260, line 40 on page 1 and lines 1-6 on page 2}}

{{Portal|Biography}}

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Category:Suffragists from New York (state)

Category:1860 births

Category:1946 deaths

Category:People from Mercer County, Illinois

Category:19th-century American Congregationalist ministers

Category:Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni

Category:Oberlin College alumni

Category:Women Christian clergy