John Breckinridge (December 2, 1760 – December 14, 1806) was an American politician, militia officer, planter, and lawyer. He served several terms in the state legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky before being elected to the United States Senate. Breckinridge also served as the United States Attorney General during the second term of President Thomas Jefferson. He was the progenitor of Kentucky's Breckinridge family and the namesake of Breckinridge County, Kentucky.
Breckinridge's father was a landowner and colonel in the Virginia militia who married into the Preston family. Breckinridge attended the College of William & Mary intermittently between 1780 and 1784. His attendance there was interrupted by the American Revolutionary War, and also he was elected thrice to the Virginia House of Delegates, becoming one of the youngest members of the house; this allowed him to meet many prominent politicians. In 1785, Breckinridge married "Polly" Cabell, a member of the Cabell family. Despite his successful political career, letters from relatives in Kentucky convinced him to move to the western frontier. He established a slave plantation named "Cabell's Dale" near Lexington, Kentucky, in 1793.
Breckinridge continued his legal and political career and was appointed as the Attorney General of Kentucky soon after arriving. In November 1797, he resigned his office and was subsequently elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives. As a legislator, Breckinridge secured the passage of a more humane criminal code which abolished capital punishment for all offenses except first-degree murder. On a 1798 trip back to Virginia, an intermediary gave him Jefferson's Kentucky Resolutions, which denounced the Alien and Sedition Acts. At Jefferson's request, Breckinridge assumed credit for the modified resolutions he shepherded through the Kentucky General Assembly; Jefferson's authorship was not discovered until after Breckinridge's death. Although Breckinridge opposed calling a constitutional convention for the new state in 1799, he was elected as a Kentucky delegate. Due to his influence, the state's government remained comparatively aristocratic, maintaining protections for slaveowners and limiting the power of the electorate. Called the father of the resultant constitution, he emerged from the convention as the acknowledged leader of the state's Democratic-Republican Party and fellow delegates elected him as speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1799 and 1800.
Elected to the Senate in 1800, Breckinridge functioned as Jefferson's floor leader, guiding administration bills through the chamber that was narrowly controlled by his party. Residents of the western frontier called for his nomination as vice president in 1804, but Jefferson appointed him as Attorney General in 1805 instead. He was the first cabinet-level official from the West but had little impact before his death from tuberculosis on December 14, 1806, at the age of 46.
Early life and family John Breckinridge's grandfather, Alexander Breckenridge (1686–1743), immigrated from Ireland to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, around 1728; the Breckinridge family had originated in Ayrshire, Scotland, before migrating to Ulster (possibly County Antrim or County Londonderry) probably in the late 17th century.Davis notes that John Breckinridge changed the spelling of the family name for unknown reasons during his time in the Virginia House of Delegates between 1781 and 1784. See Davis, p. 5. In 1740, the family moved to Augusta County, Virginia, near the city of Staunton, and Alexander died there in 1743.
John Breckinridge was born in Augusta County on December 2, 1760, the second of six children of Robert Breckenridge (1720–1773) and his second wife, Lettice (Preston) Breckenridge (1728–1797).Klotter in The Breckinridges of Kentucky, p. 8. His mother was the daughter of John Preston of Virginia's Preston political family."John Breckinridge". Dictionary of American Biography. Robert Breckenridge had two children by a previous marriage, and through one of these half-brothers John Breckinridge was uncle to future Congressman James D. Breckinridge.The paternity of James D. Breckinridge is disputed; see The Breckinridges of Kentucky, p. 8. A veteran of the French and Indian War, Robert Breckenridge had farmed as well as served first as Augusta County's under-sheriff, then as sheriff, then justice of the peace. Soon after John Breckinridge's birth, the family moved southward along the Wilderness Road to Botetourt County where Robert Breckenridge farmed, as well as became a constable and justice of the peace, and served in the Virginia militia. He died in 1773, leaving 12-year-old John of land, one slave, and half-ownership of another slave.Klotter in The Breckiridges of Kentucky, p. 9.
Breckinridge received a private education suitable to his class, possibly including Augusta Academy (now Washington and Lee University), but any records containing this information have been lost. After his father's death, the younger Breckinridge helped support the family by selling whiskey, brandy, and hemp.Harrison in "A Young Virginian", p. 21. He learned surveying from his uncle, William Preston, and between 1774 and 1779, held a clerical job in the Botetourt County land office in Fincastle. Preston sought opportunities for his nephew to attend private schools alongside his sons, but Breckinridge's other responsibilities interfered with his attendance.Harrison in John Breckinridge: Jeffersonian Republican, p. 5. Preston also nominated Breckinridge as deputy surveyor of Montgomery County, a position he accepted after passing the requisite exam on February 1, 1780.Harrison in John Breckinridge: Jeffersonian Republican, p. 6. Later that year, he joined his cousin, future Kentucky Senator John Brown, at the College of William & Mary.Harrison in "A Young Virginian", p. 22. The instructors who influenced him most were Reverend James Madison and George Wythe.
The American Revolutionary War forced the college to close in 1781, and during various times during the conflict British, French, and American troops used them as barracks while controlling the surrounding area.Harrison in John Breckinridge: Jeffersonian Republican, p. 7. Although William C. Davis records that Breckinridge had previously served as an ensign in the Botetourt County militia, Harrison notes that the most reliable records of Virginians' military service do not indicate his participation in the Revolutionary War, and less reliable sources mention him as a subaltern in the Virginia militia.Davis, p. 4.Harrison in John Breckinridge: Jeffersonian Republican, p. 20. If Breckinridge served, Harrison speculates that such occurred in one or two short 1780 militia campaigns supporting Nathanael Greene's army in southwest Virginia.Harrison in John Breckinridge: Jeffersonian Republican, p. 9.
Early political career Although he had not sought the office and was not old enough to serve, Botetourt County voters twice elected Breckinridge to represent them part-time as one of the western county's representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates in late 1780. Though without documentary support, some claim fellow delegates twice refused Breckinridge his seat because of his age, but his constituents reelected him each time, and he was seated the third time.Harrison in John Breckinridge: Jeffersonian Republican, p. 10. His legislative colleagues included Patrick Henry, Benjamin Harrison, John Tyler, John Taylor of Caroline, George Nicholas, Daniel Boone, and Benjamin Logan.Klotter in The Breckinridges of Kentucky, pp. 9–10.Harrison in "A Young Virginian", p. 24.
Prevented from meeting at Williamsburg due to fears of a British attack there, the House convened May 7, 1781, in Richmond, but failed to achieve a quorum. Due to British General Charles Cornwallis' advance on Richmond on May 10, the legislators adjourned to Charlottesville on May 24. Breckinridge arrived in Charlottesville on May 28; a quorum was present to conduct legislative business through June 3. The next morning, Jack Jouett rode into the city, warning the legislators that 250 light cavalrymen under Banastre Tarleton were approaching. Legislators quickly adjourned to Staunton and fled for their horses. Days later, they completed the session's business there. Breckinridge stayed at his mother's house between sessions, rejoining the legislature in Richmond in November 1781. Much of the session consisted of adopting resolutions of thanks for individuals who had made that city safe by defeating Cornwallis at Yorktown.Harrison in John Breckinridge: Jeffersonian Republican, p. 11.
Financial difficulties prevented Breckinridge's return to college.Klotter in The Breckinridges of Kentucky. He did not seek reelection in 1782; instead, he spent a year earning money by surveying, and was reelected to the House of Delegates in 1783, joining his legislative colleagues in May. He also joined the Constitutional Society of Virginia; fellow society members included future U.S. presidents James Madison and James Monroe.Klotter in The Breckinridges of Kentucky, p. 11. The House adjourned June 28, 1783, and Breckinridge returned to the William and Mary College, studying through the end of the year, excepting the legislative session in November and December.Harrison in "A Young Virginian", p. 25. With the war over, he urged that no economic or political penalties be imposed on former Loyalists. In contrast to his later political views, he desired a stronger central government than provided for in the Articles of Confederation; he argued that the national government could not survive unless it could tax its citizens, a power it did not have under the Articles.Harrison in "John Breckinridge: Western Statesman", p. 138.
Financial problems caused Breckinridge to leave the college after the spring semester in 1784.Harrison in "A Young Virginian", p. 23. Because of his studies earlier in the year, he had no time to campaign for reelection to the House of Delegates, so he asked his brother Joseph and his cousin John Preston to campaign on his behalf.Harrison, in "A Young Virginian", p. 26. Initially, his prospects seemed favorable, but he was beaten by future Virginia Congressman George Hancock. After the defeat, voters from Montgomery County – where Breckinridge had previously been a surveyor – chose him to represent them in the House.Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619–1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) pp. 141, 148, 154 As a Virginia legislator, Breckinridge served on the prestigious committees on Propositions and Grievances, Courts of Justice, Religion, and Investigation of the Land Offices. His fellow committee members included Henry Tazewell, Carter Henry Harrison, Edward Carrington, Spencer Roane, John Marshall, Richard Bland Lee, and Wilson Cary Nicholas.Harrison in John Breckinridge: Jeffersonian Republican, p. 13. Inspired by his legislative service, he spent the summer between legislative sessions studying to become a lawyer.Harrison in "A Young Virginian", p. 27. The legislative session focused on domestic issues like whether Virginia should establish a tax to benefit religion in the state.Harrison in John Breckinridge: Jeffersonian Republican, p. 14. Breckinridge was not associated with any denomination, and his writings indicate that he was opposed to such a tax.Harrison in John Breckinridge: Jeffersonian Republican, p. 15. Instead, he and James Madison secured approval of a religious liberty bill first proposed by Thomas Jefferson over five years earlier. The legislature rose on January 7, 1785, and Breckinridge was admitted to the bar later that year, beginning practice in Charlottesville."Breckinridge, John", Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Marriage and children