Edward T. Breathitt
Encyclopedia
Edward Thompson "Ned" Breathitt, Jr. (November 26, 1924October 14, 2003) was a politician from the US state of Kentucky
. A member of one of the state's political families, he was the 51st Governor of Kentucky
, serving from 1963 to 1967. After serving in World War II and graduating from the University of Kentucky
, Breathitt worked on the presidential
campaign of Adlai Stevenson, the senatorial campaign
of Alben Barkley, and the gubernatorial campaign of Bert T. Combs
. When Combs won the governorship in 1959, he appointed Breathitt as personnel commissioner, where he wrote legislation establishing the first merit system
for state employees. He continued to hold appointive offices throughout Combs' tenure, and in 1962, Combs endorsed Breathitt to succeed him as governor.
Breathitt defeated two-time former governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler
in the Democratic
primary
, ending Chandler's political career. He went on to win the general election over Republican
Louie B. Nunn
. Breathitt continued Combs' work of improving state highways and parks, improving education funding, and strengthening regulations on strip mining. His major accomplishment as governor was the passage of the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, the first desegregation law passed by a southern state
. His biggest disappointment was his inability to win approval of a new state constitution
.
Following his term as governor, Breathitt worked as legal counsel for Southern Railway, and later became vice-president of public affairs for Norfolk Southern Corporation. He engaged in numerous community service activities and served on political commissions aimed and eliminating poverty. Breathitt collapsed while making a speech at Lexington Community College
on October 10, 2003. He was admitted to the University of Kentucky Hospital
, but remained comatose after the collapse and died four days later.
Breathitt's oral history project is housed at the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History
at the University of Kentucky Libraries and is also available online.
, on November 26, 1924. He was the only child of Edward Thompson and Mary (Wallace) Breathitt. Breathitt's family had a considerable tradition in politics. A distant relative, John Breathitt
had been governor of Kentucky in 1832. James Breathitt, Sr., Ned Breathitt's grandfather, had served as state attorney general from 1907 to 1911, and his uncle, James Breathitt, Jr.
, was lieutenant governor
from 1927 to 1932.
Breathitt obtained his early education in the public schools of Hopkinsville and graduated from Hopkinsville High School
in 1942. Later that year, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force for service in World War II, serving until 1945. After the war, he matriculated to the University of Kentucky
. While there, he served as president of the Omicron Delta Kappa
honor society and the Lamp and Cross society; he was also a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
social fraternity. Seeing Breathitt's interest in politics, professors Jack Reeves and Thomas D. Clark
asked him to chair the campus campaign supporting a new state constitution
. Breathitt accepted, and although the proposed constitution failed, he remained committed to seeing the document updated.
In 1948, Breathitt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration. On December 20, 1948, he married Frances Holleman of Mayfield, Kentucky
. The couple had four children: Mary, Fran, Linda, and Edward III. In 1950, Breathitt earned a Bachelor of Laws
degree and returned to Hopkinsville where he joined the law firm of Trimble, Soyars, and Breathitt.
, representing the Ninth District. As a legislator, he was the acknowledged leader of a faction that opposed the programs of Governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler
. He supported the state's first legislation regulating strip mining, improved registration and election laws, and campaigned for revision of the state constitution. He also co-sponsored the Minimum Foundation Program for Education. From 1952 to 1954, Breathitt served as president of the Young Democrats Clubs of Kentucky and as a member of the national committee for the Young Democrats of America
. He was chair of the state speaker's bureau for Adlai Stevenson's presidential
campaign in 1952, and two years later, he worked on the staff of Senator
Alben Barkley's re-election campaign.
Bert T. Combs
put Breathitt in charge of his campaign against Wilson Wyatt in the Democratic
gubernatorial primary
in 1958. When Combs was elected governor in 1959, he appointed Breathitt as State Personnel Commissioner, charging him with writing legislation to create a merit system
for state employees. After successfully guiding the legislation through the General Assembly
, Breathitt resigned as personnel commissioner to accept an appointment to the Kentucky Public Service Commission
. He was also served as chair of a failed state constitutional convention in 1960 and was a member of the Governor's Commission on Mental Health.
During the primary campaign, Chandler focused his attacks on the Combs administration rather than the inexperienced Breathitt. A seasoned campaigner, he bitterly attacked the three percent sales tax
enacted during the Combs administration. Breathitt struck back with accusations that, as a senator, Chandler had voted in favor of declaring war on Japan during World War II, but resigned his army commission shortly thereafter. He further charged that Chandler's son-in-law was collecting campaign donations from individuals who desired favors from state government. The younger Breathitt, thirty-eight years old when the campaign began, adapted well to the relatively new medium of television, while the aging Chandler did not. Breathitt won the primary by more than 60,000 votes and carried all but one of the state's congressional districts. Chandler's running mate, Harry Lee Waterfield
, easily won the nomination for lieutenant governor
over Breathitt's running mate, John B. Breckinridge
, showing that the defeat was not so much a result of factionalism as a personal rebuff of Chandler. This campaign ended Chandler's political career.
In the general election, Breathitt challenged Republican
Louie B. Nunn
. Still stinging from his primary defeat, Happy Chandler endorsed Nunn, which hurt Breathitt with some members of his own party. During the campaign, Nunn attacked an executive order issued by Governor Combs that desegregated public accommodations in Kentucky as "rule by executive decree". Appearing on television with a copy of the executive order, Nunn proclaimed that "my first act will be to abolish this." Nunn's proclamation won him the support of some Democrats, but cost him Republican votes, especially in Louisville
. The New Republic
charged that Nunn ran "the first outright segregationist campaign in Kentucky." Breathitt won the election by a margin of just over 13,000 votes.
Much of the 1964 session was devoted to a bill to desegregate public accommodations in Kentucky. A rally in favor of the bill was held in March and was attended by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
, Reverend Ralph Abernathy
, and baseball player Jackie Robinson
. Despite this, the bill did not make it out of legislative committee. As a member of the Southern Governors Conference in October 1964, Breathitt was one of three governors to oppose George Wallace
's proposed constitutional amendment to give states and state courts sole jurisdiction over their public schools, preventing a federal law to integrate them. Breathitt's opposition helped prevent the Conference's endorsement of the amendment, since endorsement required a unanimous vote.
The 1964 General Assembly also passed legislation to draft a new state constitution. Thirty-eight citizens were chosen to draft the new document, which was based on national models. County leaders opposed the document because of perceived threats to the independence of local governments and an apparent consolidation of power in Frankfort
. Despite Breathitt's strong support, the proposed constitution was defeated by Kentucky voters by an overwhelming margin of 510,099 to 140,210.
Breathitt expanded the state park system and led the state to join the Tennessee Valley Authority
in developing the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
. In 1965, the Midwest Travel Writer's Association presented Breathitt with its top national award for having the best travel promotion. That same year, he was named to the University of Kentucky Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
A June 1965 ruling by the Kentucky Court of Appeals
that property must be assessed at its full value prompted calls for a special session from Kentucky taxpayers. Breathitt obliged, calling the session in July. He proposed a reduction in property tax
rates to offset the increase in the assessed value of property, and also advocated small increased in other tax rates to benefit public schools. The plan passed despite opposition from Lieutenant Governor Harry Lee Waterfield
.
The 1966 legislative session was much more successful for Breathitt. His economic development program, which led to construction or expansion of 749 industries, 57,000 new jobs, and more than $1 billion in new plant investment, was recognized as the nation's best by the Society of Industrial Investors in 1964 and generated an additional $100 million in state revenue. The pro-administration majority in the legislature was expanded in the 1965 elections, and Waterfield, Breathitt's sometimes hostile lieutenant governor, was stripped of much of his authority. Former governor Lawrence Wetherby
was selected president pro tempore of the senate
, providing effective leadership in that house of the General Assembly. Wetherby introduced a budget which was 27 percent larger than the previous one and contained appropriations for most of the state's political districts. Wetherby's leadership was so effective that the budget passed both houses of the Assembly, virtually unchanged, by votes of 99–0 and 31–5 only ten days later.
Passage of the national Civil Rights Act of 1964
had paved the way for an even stronger civil rights bill in the 1966 legislative session. The Assembly easily passed the Kentucky Civil Rights Act opening all public accommodations to people of every race and prohibiting racial discrimination in employment by firms that employed eight or more people. The act applied to many kinds of businesses not covered by the federal statute, and approximately ninety percent of the businesses in Kentucky were affected, compared to only sixty percent that were covered by the federal statute. The act was the first of its kind passed in a southern state
. In 1966, Breathitt was presented with the Lincoln Key Award for his leadership in the bill's passage. In 1966 and 1967, he was chair of the Southern Governors' Conference
's Committee on Regional and Interstate Cooperation. He was also the only state governor named to the President's Council on Human Rights.
Breathitt was a member of National Governors Conference
Executive Committee in 1964 and 1965 and chaired its Natural Resources Committee. In the 1966 legislature, he won approval for several conservation measures, including the creation of an authority to regulate water, soil, and forest resources. The session also tightened strip mining laws to prohibit mining on mountainsides that were too steep to be restored
. In 1967, he was recognized with the U.S. Department of Interior
's Distinguished Service Award and Outdoor Life
magazine's Conservationist of the Year Award for his contributions to conservation.
Other accomplishments of the 1966 legislature included the passage of a compulsory vehicle inspection law, tightening of restrictions on political contributions and expenditures by candidates for political office, and approval of a legislative redistricting law. The governor's road construction projects continued apace, and by the end of his term, Kentucky had more miles of highway under construction than any other state.
During his term as governor, Breathitt was chair of the Board of Trustees at the University of Kentucky
. Under his leadership, the state's community colleges were placed under the governance of the university. Four state colleges achieved university status during Breathitt's administration. He also established the Kentucky Educational Television
network and Kentucky's vocational education system.
by Kentucky's constitution at the time. He returned to his legal practice in Hopkinsville, and in December 1967, became Special Counsel in Kentucky for Southern Railway. In July 1968, he was named director of the Ford Foundation
's Institute for Rural America, suggesting legislative remedies for poverty including the establishment of state area development districts. In 1971, he helped found the Coalition for Rural America and was elected its chair. The Coalition worked to implement the suggestions of the Institute for Rural America. Breathitt also served as president of the American Child Centers to promote private preschool education and was appointed as the federal representative on the Southern Interstate Nuclear Board in September 1968. When Southern Railway became part of Norfolk Southern Corporation in 1972, Breathitt became vice-president for public affairs, a position he held until his retirement in 1992.
Breathitt was an important adviser to Governor John Y. Brown, Jr.
, who appointed him to the University of Kentucky's Board of Trustees in 1981 and 1982. Breathitt's wife Frances died of complications from cancer on July 11, 1985. On April 2, 1988, he married Lucy Alexander Winchester, a former social secretary to First Lady
Pat Nixon
and cousin to Libby Jones, wife of future Kentucky governor Brereton Jones
.
Breathitt later served on the boards of regents of Kentucky State University
and Morehead State University
, in both cases serving with former political rival Louie B. Nunn. From 1992 to 2000, he again served on the University of Kentucky's board, acting as chairman of the board in all but his final year. During his chairmanship, he clashed with Governor Paul E. Patton
over a plan to separate all of the state's community colleges (except Lexington Community College
) from the university's governance and place them under a newly created body called the Kentucky Community and Technical College System
. Patton's plan prevailed, and he and Breathitt later mended political fences.
In 1992, Breathitt joined the law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant, and Combs. He undertook several volunteer community service activities, including serving as director of Home Loan Bank in Cincinnati and chairman of the Kentucky Heart Fund. He was appointed to the Southern Region Education Board and the Kentucky Council on Higher Education
. In 1994, he was named to the Gatton College of Business
Alumni Hall of Fame at the University of Kentucky; in 1997, he received a similar honor from the College of Law at the university. He also received an honorary doctorate
from Murray State University
in 1994. In 1999, he received the Henry Clay Medallion for Distinguished Service and in 2000, Eastern Kentucky University's Center for Kentucky History and Politics presented him with the John Sherman Cooper Award for Outstanding Public Service to Kentucky. He retired from the practice of law in 2002.
While giving a speech at Lexington Community College on October 10, 2003, Breathitt collapsed due to ventricular fibrillation
. He was resuscitated and admitted to the University of Kentucky Hospital
but remained comatose and died on October 14. He was buried at the Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
. In 2000, the Pennyrile Parkway in western Kentucky was renamed the Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway in his honor.
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. A member of one of the state's political families, he was the 51st Governor of Kentucky
Governor of Kentucky
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
, serving from 1963 to 1967. After serving in World War II and graduating from the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, Breathitt worked on the presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
campaign of Adlai Stevenson, the senatorial campaign
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
of Alben Barkley, and the gubernatorial campaign of Bert T. Combs
Bert T. Combs
Bertram Thomas Combs was a jurist and politician from the US state of Kentucky. After serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, he was elected the 50th Governor of Kentucky in 1959 on his second run for the office. Following his gubernatorial term, he was appointed to the Sixth Circuit Court of...
. When Combs won the governorship in 1959, he appointed Breathitt as personnel commissioner, where he wrote legislation establishing the first merit system
Merit system
The merit system is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections. It is the opposite of the spoils system.- History :...
for state employees. He continued to hold appointive offices throughout Combs' tenure, and in 1962, Combs endorsed Breathitt to succeed him as governor.
Breathitt defeated two-time former governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler
Happy Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1951 and...
in the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, ending Chandler's political career. He went on to win the general election over Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Louie B. Nunn
Louie B. Nunn
Louie Broady Nunn was the 52nd governor of Kentucky. Elected in 1967, he was the first Republican elected to that office since Simeon Willis in 1943 and the last to hold it until the election of Ernie Fletcher in 2003....
. Breathitt continued Combs' work of improving state highways and parks, improving education funding, and strengthening regulations on strip mining. His major accomplishment as governor was the passage of the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, the first desegregation law passed by a southern state
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. His biggest disappointment was his inability to win approval of a new state constitution
Kentucky Constitution
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the document that governs the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was first adopted in 1792 and has since been rewritten three times and amended many more...
.
Following his term as governor, Breathitt worked as legal counsel for Southern Railway, and later became vice-president of public affairs for Norfolk Southern Corporation. He engaged in numerous community service activities and served on political commissions aimed and eliminating poverty. Breathitt collapsed while making a speech at Lexington Community College
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Bluegrass Community and Technical College , located in Lexington, Kentucky, is one of 16 two-year, open-admissions colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System . It was formed from the consolidation of two separate institutions: Lexington Community College and Central Kentucky...
on October 10, 2003. He was admitted to the University of Kentucky Hospital
Albert B. Chandler Hospital
Opened in 1962, the Albert B. Chandler Hospital along Rose Street at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky is a component of the University of Kentucky Hospital , encompassed within the Chandler Medical Center. It is named for twice-former Governor of Kentucky A. B. "Happy" Chandler...
, but remained comatose after the collapse and died four days later.
Breathitt's oral history project is housed at the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History
Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History
The Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky actively collects oral history interviews concentrating on 20th and 21st century Kentucky history, and maintains a collection of over 8,000 interviews made up of over 100 projects. The Center's emphasis has been on political,...
at the University of Kentucky Libraries and is also available online.
Early life
Ned Breathitt was born in Hopkinsville, KentuckyHopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
, on November 26, 1924. He was the only child of Edward Thompson and Mary (Wallace) Breathitt. Breathitt's family had a considerable tradition in politics. A distant relative, John Breathitt
John Breathitt
John Breathitt was the 11th Governor of Kentucky. He was the first Democrat to hold this office and was the second Kentucky governor to die in office. Shortly after his death, Breathitt County, Kentucky was created and named in his honor.Early in life, Breathitt was appointed a deputy surveyor in...
had been governor of Kentucky in 1832. James Breathitt, Sr., Ned Breathitt's grandfather, had served as state attorney general from 1907 to 1911, and his uncle, James Breathitt, Jr.
James Breathitt, Jr.
James Breathitt, Jr. was an American politician from Kentucky.Breathitt was born on December 14, 1890 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.Breathitt was educated at Centre College....
, was lieutenant governor
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
The office of lieutenant governor of Kentucky has existed under the last three of Kentucky's four constitutions, beginning in 1797. The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the Vice President of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency...
from 1927 to 1932.
Breathitt obtained his early education in the public schools of Hopkinsville and graduated from Hopkinsville High School
Hopkinsville High School
Hopkinsville High School is a four-year public high school located in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, with over 1,000 students. It is operated by the Christian County Public Schools school district.-History:...
in 1942. Later that year, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force for service in World War II, serving until 1945. After the war, he matriculated to the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
. While there, he served as president of the Omicron Delta Kappa
Omicron Delta Kappa
Omicron Delta Kappa, or ΟΔΚ, also known as The Circle, or more commonly ODK, is a national leadership honor society. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, by 15 student and faculty leaders. Chapters, known as Circles, are located on over 300...
honor society and the Lamp and Cross society; he was also a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
social fraternity. Seeing Breathitt's interest in politics, professors Jack Reeves and Thomas D. Clark
Thomas D. Clark
Thomas Dionysius Clark was perhaps Kentucky's most notable historian. Clark saved from destruction a large portion of Kentucky's printed history, which later become a core body of documents in the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives...
asked him to chair the campus campaign supporting a new state constitution
Kentucky Constitution
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the document that governs the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was first adopted in 1792 and has since been rewritten three times and amended many more...
. Breathitt accepted, and although the proposed constitution failed, he remained committed to seeing the document updated.
In 1948, Breathitt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration. On December 20, 1948, he married Frances Holleman of Mayfield, Kentucky
Mayfield, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,349 people, 4,358 households, and 2,667 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.8 people per square mile . There were 4,907 housing units at an average density of 734.8 per square mile...
. The couple had four children: Mary, Fran, Linda, and Edward III. In 1950, Breathitt earned a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree and returned to Hopkinsville where he joined the law firm of Trimble, Soyars, and Breathitt.
Political career
In 1951, Breathitt was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the Kentucky House of RepresentativesKentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
, representing the Ninth District. As a legislator, he was the acknowledged leader of a faction that opposed the programs of Governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler
Happy Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1951 and...
. He supported the state's first legislation regulating strip mining, improved registration and election laws, and campaigned for revision of the state constitution. He also co-sponsored the Minimum Foundation Program for Education. From 1952 to 1954, Breathitt served as president of the Young Democrats Clubs of Kentucky and as a member of the national committee for the Young Democrats of America
Young Democrats of America
The Young Democrats of America , founded in 1932, is the official youth arm of the Democratic Party of the United States, although it severed official ties with the Democratic National Committee following passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 and became an independent 527 group...
. He was chair of the state speaker's bureau for Adlai Stevenson's presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
campaign in 1952, and two years later, he worked on the staff of Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Alben Barkley's re-election campaign.
Bert T. Combs
Bert T. Combs
Bertram Thomas Combs was a jurist and politician from the US state of Kentucky. After serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, he was elected the 50th Governor of Kentucky in 1959 on his second run for the office. Following his gubernatorial term, he was appointed to the Sixth Circuit Court of...
put Breathitt in charge of his campaign against Wilson Wyatt in the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
gubernatorial primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
in 1958. When Combs was elected governor in 1959, he appointed Breathitt as State Personnel Commissioner, charging him with writing legislation to create a merit system
Merit system
The merit system is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections. It is the opposite of the spoils system.- History :...
for state employees. After successfully guiding the legislation through the General Assembly
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January...
, Breathitt resigned as personnel commissioner to accept an appointment to the Kentucky Public Service Commission
Kentucky Public Service Commission
The Kentucky Public Service Commission is a public utilities commission, a quasi-judicial regulatory tribunal, whichregulates the intrastate rates and services of investor-owned electric, natural gas, telephone, water and sewage utilities, customer-owned electric and telephone cooperatives, water...
. He was also served as chair of a failed state constitutional convention in 1960 and was a member of the Governor's Commission on Mental Health.
1963 gubernatorial campaign
In 1962, two-time former governor and Democratic factional leader Happy Chandler had already begun his campaign for an unprecedented third term as governor. The anti-Chandler faction became concerned that, if they did not name a candidate, Chandler's early announcement would give him an advantage in the 1963 election. Leaders of the faction were solidly behind state Highway Commissioner Henry Ward, but Governor Combs was leaning toward Breathitt. Breathitt announced his candidacy on May 2, 1962, but many in his party remained skeptical due to his youth and relative inexperience. Combs eventually convinced the anti-Chandler faction to back Breathitt, and Ward never became a candidate.During the primary campaign, Chandler focused his attacks on the Combs administration rather than the inexperienced Breathitt. A seasoned campaigner, he bitterly attacked the three percent sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
enacted during the Combs administration. Breathitt struck back with accusations that, as a senator, Chandler had voted in favor of declaring war on Japan during World War II, but resigned his army commission shortly thereafter. He further charged that Chandler's son-in-law was collecting campaign donations from individuals who desired favors from state government. The younger Breathitt, thirty-eight years old when the campaign began, adapted well to the relatively new medium of television, while the aging Chandler did not. Breathitt won the primary by more than 60,000 votes and carried all but one of the state's congressional districts. Chandler's running mate, Harry Lee Waterfield
Harry Lee Waterfield
Harry Lee Waterfield , a Democrat, served twice as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and unsuccessfully sought election as Governor of Kentucky....
, easily won the nomination for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
The office of lieutenant governor of Kentucky has existed under the last three of Kentucky's four constitutions, beginning in 1797. The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the Vice President of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency...
over Breathitt's running mate, John B. Breckinridge
John B. Breckinridge
John Bayne Breckinridge was an American politician, a Democrat who served as Attorney General of Kentucky twice and also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky.-Early life:...
, showing that the defeat was not so much a result of factionalism as a personal rebuff of Chandler. This campaign ended Chandler's political career.
In the general election, Breathitt challenged Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Louie B. Nunn
Louie B. Nunn
Louie Broady Nunn was the 52nd governor of Kentucky. Elected in 1967, he was the first Republican elected to that office since Simeon Willis in 1943 and the last to hold it until the election of Ernie Fletcher in 2003....
. Still stinging from his primary defeat, Happy Chandler endorsed Nunn, which hurt Breathitt with some members of his own party. During the campaign, Nunn attacked an executive order issued by Governor Combs that desegregated public accommodations in Kentucky as "rule by executive decree". Appearing on television with a copy of the executive order, Nunn proclaimed that "my first act will be to abolish this." Nunn's proclamation won him the support of some Democrats, but cost him Republican votes, especially in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
charged that Nunn ran "the first outright segregationist campaign in Kentucky." Breathitt won the election by a margin of just over 13,000 votes.
Governor of Kentucky
The first legislative session of Breathitt's administration was a disappointment to his faction. His youth and narrow margin of victory in the election undermined his authority. Further, the unexpected death of Richard P. Maloney, a key legislative leader, was a blow to Breathitt's ability to push his agenda through the General Assembly. The major accomplishment of the 1964 session was the approval of a $176 million bond issue to increased funding for roads, public education, the state park system, and social services. Other minor accomplishments included passing a purchasing law, strengthening strip mining regulations, and improving benefits for teachers.Much of the 1964 session was devoted to a bill to desegregate public accommodations in Kentucky. A rally in favor of the bill was held in March and was attended by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, Reverend Ralph Abernathy
Ralph Abernathy
Ralph David Abernathy, Sr. was a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, a minister, and a close associate of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Following King's assassination, Dr. Abernathy took up the leadership of the SCLC Poor People's Campaign and...
, and baseball player Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
. Despite this, the bill did not make it out of legislative committee. As a member of the Southern Governors Conference in October 1964, Breathitt was one of three governors to oppose George Wallace
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
's proposed constitutional amendment to give states and state courts sole jurisdiction over their public schools, preventing a federal law to integrate them. Breathitt's opposition helped prevent the Conference's endorsement of the amendment, since endorsement required a unanimous vote.
The 1964 General Assembly also passed legislation to draft a new state constitution. Thirty-eight citizens were chosen to draft the new document, which was based on national models. County leaders opposed the document because of perceived threats to the independence of local governments and an apparent consolidation of power in Frankfort
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
. Despite Breathitt's strong support, the proposed constitution was defeated by Kentucky voters by an overwhelming margin of 510,099 to 140,210.
Breathitt expanded the state park system and led the state to join the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
in developing the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
The Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in Kentucky and Tennessee between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. The area was designated a national recreation area by President John F. Kennedy in 1963...
. In 1965, the Midwest Travel Writer's Association presented Breathitt with its top national award for having the best travel promotion. That same year, he was named to the University of Kentucky Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
A June 1965 ruling by the Kentucky Court of Appeals
Kentucky Court of Appeals
The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky....
that property must be assessed at its full value prompted calls for a special session from Kentucky taxpayers. Breathitt obliged, calling the session in July. He proposed a reduction in property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
rates to offset the increase in the assessed value of property, and also advocated small increased in other tax rates to benefit public schools. The plan passed despite opposition from Lieutenant Governor Harry Lee Waterfield
Harry Lee Waterfield
Harry Lee Waterfield , a Democrat, served twice as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and unsuccessfully sought election as Governor of Kentucky....
.
The 1966 legislative session was much more successful for Breathitt. His economic development program, which led to construction or expansion of 749 industries, 57,000 new jobs, and more than $1 billion in new plant investment, was recognized as the nation's best by the Society of Industrial Investors in 1964 and generated an additional $100 million in state revenue. The pro-administration majority in the legislature was expanded in the 1965 elections, and Waterfield, Breathitt's sometimes hostile lieutenant governor, was stripped of much of his authority. Former governor Lawrence Wetherby
Lawrence Wetherby
Lawerence Winchester Wetherby was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. After graduating from the University of Louisville, he rose through the judicial system of Jefferson County and was elected lieutenant governor in 1947, serving under Governor Earle C. Clements...
was selected president pro tempore of the senate
President Pro Tempore of the Kentucky Senate
President Pro Tempore of the Kentucky Senate was the title of highest ranking member of the Kentucky Senate prior to enactment of a 1992 amendment to the Constitution of Kentucky....
, providing effective leadership in that house of the General Assembly. Wetherby introduced a budget which was 27 percent larger than the previous one and contained appropriations for most of the state's political districts. Wetherby's leadership was so effective that the budget passed both houses of the Assembly, virtually unchanged, by votes of 99–0 and 31–5 only ten days later.
Passage of the national Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation...
had paved the way for an even stronger civil rights bill in the 1966 legislative session. The Assembly easily passed the Kentucky Civil Rights Act opening all public accommodations to people of every race and prohibiting racial discrimination in employment by firms that employed eight or more people. The act applied to many kinds of businesses not covered by the federal statute, and approximately ninety percent of the businesses in Kentucky were affected, compared to only sixty percent that were covered by the federal statute. The act was the first of its kind passed in a southern state
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. In 1966, Breathitt was presented with the Lincoln Key Award for his leadership in the bill's passage. In 1966 and 1967, he was chair of the Southern Governors' Conference
Southern Governors Association
' was founded in 1934, and is the oldest and historically the largest of the United States' regional governors' associations. Since its first meeting 75 years ago to discuss the repeal of discriminatory rates for transporting goods by rail, SGA has represented the common interests of Southern...
's Committee on Regional and Interstate Cooperation. He was also the only state governor named to the President's Council on Human Rights.
Breathitt was a member of National Governors Conference
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association , founded in 1908 as the National Governors' Conference, is funded primarily by state dues, federal grants and contracts and private contributions. NGA represents the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories The National Governors Association...
Executive Committee in 1964 and 1965 and chaired its Natural Resources Committee. In the 1966 legislature, he won approval for several conservation measures, including the creation of an authority to regulate water, soil, and forest resources. The session also tightened strip mining laws to prohibit mining on mountainsides that were too steep to be restored
Mine reclamation
Mine reclamation is the process of creating useful landscapes that meet a variety of goals, typically creating productive ecosystems from mined land...
. In 1967, he was recognized with the U.S. Department of Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
's Distinguished Service Award and Outdoor Life
Outdoor Life
Outdoor Life is an outdoors magazine about hunting, fishing, survival and camping. It is a sister magazine of Field & Stream. Together with Sports Afield, they are considered the Big Three of American outdoor publishing. Outdoor Life launched in Denver, Colorado in January 1898. Founder and...
magazine's Conservationist of the Year Award for his contributions to conservation.
Other accomplishments of the 1966 legislature included the passage of a compulsory vehicle inspection law, tightening of restrictions on political contributions and expenditures by candidates for political office, and approval of a legislative redistricting law. The governor's road construction projects continued apace, and by the end of his term, Kentucky had more miles of highway under construction than any other state.
During his term as governor, Breathitt was chair of the Board of Trustees at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
. Under his leadership, the state's community colleges were placed under the governance of the university. Four state colleges achieved university status during Breathitt's administration. He also established the Kentucky Educational Television
Kentucky Educational Television
Kentucky Educational Television, also known as KET: The Kentucky Network, is Kentucky's non-commercial educational public television state network...
network and Kentucky's vocational education system.
Later life and death
Breathitt was limited to one termTerm limits in the United States
Term limits in the United States apply to many offices at both the federal and state level, and date back to the American Revolution.-Pre-constitution:...
by Kentucky's constitution at the time. He returned to his legal practice in Hopkinsville, and in December 1967, became Special Counsel in Kentucky for Southern Railway. In July 1968, he was named director of the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
's Institute for Rural America, suggesting legislative remedies for poverty including the establishment of state area development districts. In 1971, he helped found the Coalition for Rural America and was elected its chair. The Coalition worked to implement the suggestions of the Institute for Rural America. Breathitt also served as president of the American Child Centers to promote private preschool education and was appointed as the federal representative on the Southern Interstate Nuclear Board in September 1968. When Southern Railway became part of Norfolk Southern Corporation in 1972, Breathitt became vice-president for public affairs, a position he held until his retirement in 1992.
Breathitt was an important adviser to Governor John Y. Brown, Jr.
John Y. Brown, Jr.
This article is about one of four John Young Browns, from Kentucky, that have served political office. For others see: John Young Brown ...
, who appointed him to the University of Kentucky's Board of Trustees in 1981 and 1982. Breathitt's wife Frances died of complications from cancer on July 11, 1985. On April 2, 1988, he married Lucy Alexander Winchester, a former social secretary to First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Pat Nixon
Pat Nixon
Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, and was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974. She was commonly known as Patricia or Pat Nixon.Born in Nevada, Pat Ryan grew up in Los Angeles, California...
and cousin to Libby Jones, wife of future Kentucky governor Brereton Jones
Brereton Jones
Brereton Chandler Jones is a horse breeder and politician from the US state of Kentucky. From 1987 to 1991, he served as lieutenant governor of Kentucky and from 1991 to 1995, he was the state's 58th governor...
.
Breathitt later served on the boards of regents of Kentucky State University
Kentucky State University
Kentucky State University is a four-year institution of higher learning, located in Frankfort, Kentucky, United States, the Commonwealth's capital. The school is an historically black university, which desegregated in 1954...
and Morehead State University
Morehead State University
Morehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, midway between Lexington, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. The 2012 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S...
, in both cases serving with former political rival Louie B. Nunn. From 1992 to 2000, he again served on the University of Kentucky's board, acting as chairman of the board in all but his final year. During his chairmanship, he clashed with Governor Paul E. Patton
Paul E. Patton
Paul Edward Patton was the 59th governor of Kentucky, serving from 1995 to 2003. Because of a 1992 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution, he was the first governor eligible to succeed himself in office since James Garrard in 1800...
over a plan to separate all of the state's community colleges (except Lexington Community College
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Bluegrass Community and Technical College , located in Lexington, Kentucky, is one of 16 two-year, open-admissions colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System . It was formed from the consolidation of two separate institutions: Lexington Community College and Central Kentucky...
) from the university's governance and place them under a newly created body called the Kentucky Community and Technical College System
Kentucky Community and Technical College System
Headquartered in Versailles, Kentucky, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System comprises 16 colleges with over 68 campuses. Programs offered include associate degrees, pre-baccalaureate education to transfer to a public 4-year institution; adult education, continuing and developmental...
. Patton's plan prevailed, and he and Breathitt later mended political fences.
In 1992, Breathitt joined the law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant, and Combs. He undertook several volunteer community service activities, including serving as director of Home Loan Bank in Cincinnati and chairman of the Kentucky Heart Fund. He was appointed to the Southern Region Education Board and the Kentucky Council on Higher Education
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education coordinates change and improvement in Kentucky’s postsecondary education system as directed by the...
. In 1994, he was named to the Gatton College of Business
Gatton College of Business and Economics
Gatton College of Business and Economics is a college of the University of Kentucky. Founded in 1925, it was not given the current name "Gatton College of Business and Economics" until 1996 after a large monetary gift to the University in 1995 from Carol Martin "Bill" Gatton. The donation was the...
Alumni Hall of Fame at the University of Kentucky; in 1997, he received a similar honor from the College of Law at the university. He also received an honorary doctorate
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from Murray State University
Murray State University
Murray State University, located in the city of Murray, Kentucky, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years...
in 1994. In 1999, he received the Henry Clay Medallion for Distinguished Service and in 2000, Eastern Kentucky University's Center for Kentucky History and Politics presented him with the John Sherman Cooper Award for Outstanding Public Service to Kentucky. He retired from the practice of law in 2002.
While giving a speech at Lexington Community College on October 10, 2003, Breathitt collapsed due to ventricular fibrillation
Ventricular fibrillation
Ventricular fibrillation is a condition in which there is uncoordinated contraction of the cardiac muscle of the ventricles in the heart, making them quiver rather than contract properly. Ventricular fibrillation is a medical emergency and most commonly identified arrythmia in cardiac arrest...
. He was resuscitated and admitted to the University of Kentucky Hospital
Albert B. Chandler Hospital
Opened in 1962, the Albert B. Chandler Hospital along Rose Street at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky is a component of the University of Kentucky Hospital , encompassed within the Chandler Medical Center. It is named for twice-former Governor of Kentucky A. B. "Happy" Chandler...
but remained comatose and died on October 14. He was buried at the Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
. In 2000, the Pennyrile Parkway in western Kentucky was renamed the Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway in his honor.