John Witherspoon Breckinridge Explained

Office:District Attorney of Merced County, California
Term End:1892
Term Start1:1884
Term End1:1888
Birth Date:22 December 1850
Birth Place:Lexington, Kentucky, US
Death Place:Merced, California, US
Alma Mater:Washington and Lee University
Party:Democratic
Occupation:Lawyer, politician
Parents:John C. Breckinridge
Mary Cyrene Burch Breckinridge
Spouse:
Harriett Dudley
Relatives:Breckinridge family

John Witherspoon "Owen" Breckinridge (December 22, 1850 – May 9, 1892) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the California State Assembly.

Early life

Breckinridge was born on December 22, 1850, in Lexington, Kentucky, in the prominent Breckinridge family.[1] He was the fourth child of John Cabell Breckinridge (1821–1875), who served as Vice-President of the United States under James Buchanan, and Mary Cyrene (née Burch) Breckinridge (1826–1907). Among his siblings were Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Clifton Rodes Breckinridge,[2] Frances Viley (née Breckenridge) Steele, and Mary Desha (née Breckinridge) Maltby. He was named after his great-great-grandfather, John Witherspoon, who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Known as "Owen" in appreciation of the heavy vote his father received in Owen County,[3] he attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.[4]

Career

Around 1877, Breckinridge moved to California eventually settling in Merced in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley.[5] Breckinridge was a member of California State Assembly from 1884 to 1885.[6] He also served as District Attorney of Merced County, California, until his death in 1892. In his obituary, it was said:[6]

"Mr. Breckinridge was one of the most talented men in California gifted with all that goes to make up a brilliant lawyer and gentleman. Although still a young man, he had climbed high in his profession and was known in many cities and towns of California as a lawyer of unquestioned ability and of unquestioned integrity in business matters."[7]

Personal life

In 1877, Breckinridge was married to Florence Louise Tevis, a daughter of Lloyd Tevis, the President of Wells Fargo Bank. Together, they were the parents of:

Owen and Louise divorced and she remarried to Frederick William Sharon (a son of U.S. Senator William Sharon)[15] in 1883 with whom she had four more children. Owen remarried to Harriett Dudley.[16]

Breckinridge died on May 9, 1892, in Merced, California.[1]

Descendants

Through his son John, he was posthumously a grandfather of John Cabell "Bunny" Breckinridge Jr. (1903–1996), an actor and drag queen best known for his role as "The Ruler" in Ed Wood's film Plan 9 from Outer Space.[17]

Through his daughter Florence, he was the grandfather of Frederick Fermor-Hesketh, 2nd Baron Hesketh (1916–1955), the British peer and soldier.[13]

External links

John Witherspoon Breckinridge

Notes and References

  1. Book: University . Washington and Lee . Historical Papers No. 4 . 1893 . . 116 . 1 March 2021 . en.
  2. News: C.R. BRECKINRIDGE DEFEATED.; Judge John S. Little Will Succeed Him in Congress. . 1 March 2021 . . 25 June 1894.
  3. Book: Hess . Stephen . America's Political Dynasties . 2017 . Routledge . 978-1-351-53215-0 . 263 . 1 March 2021 . en.
  4. Book: University . Washington and Lee . Catalogue of the Officers and Alumni of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, 1749-1888 . 1888 . J. Murphy & Company . 148 . 1 March 2021 . en.
  5. News: J.C. BRECKINRIDGE'S SON.; OUTLINE OF HIS VARIED CAREER ON THE PACIFIC COAST. . 1 March 2021 . . 14 September 1884.
  6. Web site: John W. Breckinridge . www.joincalifornia.com . JoinCalifornia . 1 March 2021.
  7. John W. Breckinridge, Mariposa Gazette 14 May 1892.
  8. Book: of 1900 . Harvard College (1780-) Class . Second Report . 1906 . . 40 . 1 March 2021 . en.
  9. News: L.T. BRECKINRIDGE A SUICIDE.; Grandson of the Late Vice President Breckinridge Takes His Own Life Because of Despondency. . 1 March 2021 . . 27 July 1901.
  10. News: MISS MURPHY DID NOT INVITE PARENTS . 1 March 2021 . . 18 July 1902 . 1.
  11. News: Times . Special to The New York . YOUNG COUPLE ELOPE.; San Francisco Bank President's Daughter Weds John Cabell Breckinridge's Grandson. . 1 March 2021 . . 19 July 1902.
  12. News: MRS. BRECKENREDGE TO PAY VISIT . 1 March 2021 . . 10 March 1912 . 7.
  13. Web site: Hesketh, Baron (UK, 1935) . www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk . Heraldic Media Limited . 1 March 2021.
  14. News: TIMES . Special Cable to THE NEW YORK . AN EMBASSY WEDDING.; Miss Breckinridge Becomes the Bride of an Englishman In Paris. . 1 March 2021 . . 12 September 1909.
  15. Book: Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage . 1914 . Burke's Peerage Limited . 1008 . 1 March 2021 . en.
  16. Book: Browning . Charles Henry . Americans of Royal Descent: A Collection of Genealogies of American Families Whose Lineage is Traced to the Legitimate Issue of Kings . 1891 . Porter & Costes . 357 . 1 March 2021 . en.
  17. News: OBITUARY -- John 'Bunny' Breckinridge. 10 November 2016. SFGate. November 9, 1996.