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John Breckinridge (1760-1806)
Encyclopedia
John Breckinridge was a United States Senator and Attorney General
. He was the progenitor of the Breckinridge political family
.
, Breckinridge attended William and Mary College (now the College of William and Mary
) where he was taught by George Wythe
. He was first elected to the Virginia
legislature when he was only 19 years old and still a student, but because he was underage, he was not allowed to serve until his third term.
Breckinridge served in the Virginia militia
during the American Revolutionary War
. Afterwards he studied law, and began a private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia
. He was elected to the United States Congress
, but resigned in 1792 before his term even began.
and began to practice law there. He purchased 2,467 acres (10 km²) of land and established a horse breeding operation that would become Castleton Farm, one of the most famous names in American horse racing history. He ran for a seat in the United States Senate
in 1794, but was not elected by the legislature. He was, however, appointed Attorney General of Kentucky
in 1795, although he resigned this position as well in 1797. He then successfully ran for a seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives
, and served for two years. During this time he became the Speaker of the House.
In 1799, he served in Kentucky's constitutional convention. Afterwards he ran, this time as a Democratic-Republican, for a seat in the United States Senate, and he was elected. He served from March 4, 1801, until August 7, 1805, when he resigned again, this time to accept an appointment as the Attorney General of the United States under President Thomas Jefferson
.
By many accounts, Breckinridge was an important adviser to Jefferson, and he sponsored Jefferson's Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions. Breckinridge died in 1806, while still serving as Attorney General. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery.
According to Ethelbert Dudley Warfield
's book The Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: An Historical Study, Breckinridge was the major author of the Kentucky Resolutions.
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
. He was the progenitor of the Breckinridge political family
Breckinridge family
The Breckinridge family is a family of politicians and public figures from the United States. The family has included six members of the United States House of Representatives, two United States Senators, a cabinet member, two Ambassadors, a Vice President of United States and an unsuccessful...
.
Early Life in Virginia
Born in Staunton, VirginiaStaunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
, Breckinridge attended William and Mary College (now the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
) where he was taught by George Wythe
George Wythe
George Wythe was an American lawyer, a judge, a prominent law professor and "Virginia's foremost classical scholar." He was a teacher and mentor of Thomas Jefferson. Wythe's signature is positioned at the head of the list of seven Virginia signatories on the United States Declaration of Independence...
. He was first elected to the Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
legislature when he was only 19 years old and still a student, but because he was underage, he was not allowed to serve until his third term.
Breckinridge served in the Virginia militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Afterwards he studied law, and began a private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
. He was elected to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, but resigned in 1792 before his term even began.
Kentucky and U.S. Politics
In 1793 he moved to Lexington, KentuckyLexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
and began to practice law there. He purchased 2,467 acres (10 km²) of land and established a horse breeding operation that would become Castleton Farm, one of the most famous names in American horse racing history. He ran for a seat in the United States Senate
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...
in 1794, but was not elected by the legislature. He was, however, appointed Attorney General of Kentucky
Attorney General of Kentucky
The Attorney General of Kentucky is an office created by the Kentucky Constitution. . Under Kentucky law, he serves several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor , the state's chief law enforcement officer , and the state's chief law officer...
in 1795, although he resigned this position as well in 1797. He then successfully ran for a seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives
Kentucky 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...
, and served for two years. During this time he became the Speaker of the House.
In 1799, he served in Kentucky's constitutional convention. Afterwards he ran, this time as a Democratic-Republican, for a seat in the United States Senate, and he was elected. He served from March 4, 1801, until August 7, 1805, when he resigned again, this time to accept an appointment as the Attorney General of the United States under President Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
.
By many accounts, Breckinridge was an important adviser to Jefferson, and he sponsored Jefferson's Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions. Breckinridge died in 1806, while still serving as Attorney General. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery.
According to Ethelbert Dudley Warfield
Ethelbert Dudley Warfield
Ethelbert Dudley Warfield, D.D., LL.D. was an American professor of history and college president who served as president of Miami University, Lafayette College and Wilson College. As Miami University's youngest president, he was noted for bringing football to Miami where its first...
's book The Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: An Historical Study, Breckinridge was the major author of the Kentucky Resolutions.
Legacy
- He was the father of minister and educator Robert Jefferson BreckinridgeRobert Jefferson BreckinridgeRobert Jefferson Breckinridge was a politician and Presbyterian minister. He was a member of the Breckinridge family of Kentucky, the son of Senator John Breckinridge....
. - He was the grandfather of C.S. General John C. BreckinridgeJohn C. BreckinridgeJohn Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S...
, the fourteenth Vice President of the United StatesVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
, who was also related to Senators Henry ClayHenry ClayHenry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
and Thomas Hart BentonThomas Hart Benton (senator)Thomas Hart Benton , nicknamed "Old Bullion", was a U.S. Senator from Missouri and a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States. He served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851, becoming the first member of that body to serve five terms...
. CS General Breckinridge was the grandfather of US Marine General James Carson BreckinridgeJames Carson BreckinridgeJames Carson Breckinridge was a lieutenant general of the United States Marine Corps. He was the son of Clifton Rhodes Breckinridge and a member of the prominent Breckinridge family.-Military career:...
. - He was the grandfather of General Robert Jefferson Breckinridge II, Spanish-American War Commander
- He was a great-grandfather of U.S. Representative and Minister to Russia Clifton R. BreckinridgeClifton R. BreckinridgeClifton Rodes Breckinridge was a Democratic alderman, congressman, diplomat, businessman and veteran of the Confederate Army and Navy. He was a member of the prominent Breckinridge family, the son of Vice President of the United States and Confederate General John C. Breckinridge and the...
, son of John C. - He was a great-grandfather of US Navy officer Joseph BreckinridgeJoseph BreckinridgeJoseph Cabell Breckinridge was an officer in the United States Navy in the Spanish-American War. He was the son of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr., a Major General in the United States Army, and a member of the prominent Breckinridge family.-Biography:Breckinridge was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia...
son of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr.Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr.Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr. was a Major General, but fought for the Union in the American Civil War.Breckinridge was a member of the prominent Breckinridge family at the family's Cabell's Dale estate near Lexington, Kentucky...
1842-1920 - He was a great-great-grandfather of actor Bunny BreckinridgeBunny BreckinridgeJohn Cabell "Bunny" Breckinridge was an American actor and drag queen, best known for his role as "The Ruler" in Ed Wood's film Plan 9 from Outer Space, his only film appearance.- Early life :...
and of John B. BreckinridgeJohn B. BreckinridgeJohn 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:...
who succeeded him as Attorney General of KentuckyAttorney General of KentuckyThe Attorney General of Kentucky is an office created by the Kentucky Constitution. . Under Kentucky law, he serves several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor , the state's chief law enforcement officer , and the state's chief law officer...
and as a member of the Kentucky House of RepresentativesKentucky House of RepresentativesThe 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...
and who also served in the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. - Two of his other grandsons were US Congressman William Campbell Preston Breckinridge (1837-1904) and Confederate General John B. GraysonJohn B. GraysonJohn Breckinridge Grayson was a career United States Army officer and a graduate of West Point. He is well known for being a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War, his service during the Mexican-American War, and for his early death only three months after joining the...
{1806-1861}.{General Grayson was also a grandson of Virginia Senator William GraysonWilliam GraysonWilliam Grayson was a soldier, lawyer, and statesman from Virginia. He was one of the first two U.S. Senators from Virginia, and belonged to the Anti-Federalist faction.-Biography:...
}. - He was a cousin of Congressman John Brown (Kentucky)John Brown (Kentucky)John Brown was an American lawyer and statesman heavily involved with creating the State of Kentucky.Brown represented Virginia in the Continental Congress and the U.S. Congress . While in Congress, he introduced the bill granting Statehood to Kentucky. Once that was accomplished, he was elected...
. - Breckinridge County, KentuckyBreckinridge County, KentuckyAs of the census of 2000, there were 18,648 people, 7,324 households, and 5,309 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,890 housing units at an average density of...
is named in his honor.
Further reading
}- Harrison, Lowell. John Breckinridge, Jeffersonian Republican. Louisville: Filson Club, 1969
- Klotter, James C. The Breckinridges of Kentucky: Two Centuries of Leadership. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1986.