Sophonisba Breckinridge

Sophonisba Breckinridge, a name that rolls off the tongue like a particularly erudite legal brief, was born into a prominent Kentucky family—think political dynasty, not exactly a shtetl. Her father was a Congressman and her mother a suffragist, so a life of quiet domesticity was clearly not on the cards. She became the first woman admitted to the Kentucky bar and later earned a Ph.D. in political science and a J.D. from the University of Chicago, proving that some people just collect degrees like others collect stamps.

Breckinridge dedicated her prodigious intellect to social welfare, co-founding the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration and fighting for women's suffrage, child labor laws, and immigrant rights. She was also a prominent resident of Hull House alongside Jane Addams, proving that if you wanted to get anything done in progressive-era Chicago, you needed to be living in a settlement house.

While her commitment to justice was undeniably stellar, there is not a single menorah, matzah ball, or kvetch to be found in her illustrious lineage. Her ancestry is as thoroughly WASP as a perfectly pressed linen suit. She was a true pioneer in her field, breaking barriers for women in academia and law, but genetically speaking, she was about as Jewish as a mint julep. And just as refreshing.