Juanita Breckenridge Bates (1860-1946)

Rev. Juanita Breckenridge came to Tompkins County in 1892 to serve as minister of the Brooktondale Congregational Church. She married Frederick Bates, Town of Caroline Supervisor, and relocated to Ithaca where her husband served for a term as mayor. Their home on North Tioga Street served as a hub for women’s activities. As a suffrage leader, Juanita Breckenridge Bates was active in the Political Study Club, City Federation of Women’s Clubs, Ithaca Woman’s Club, and the New York State Woman Suffrage Association. In 1920, she served as the first president of the Tompkins County League of Women Voters.

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IMAGE: Juanita Breckenridge Bates, portrait courtesy The History Center in Tompkins County

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