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Emily Bayes
Kountry
HIST156
5 May 2014
John Breckenridge: The Man That History Nearly Forgot
1. Introduction
On a cold January day in 1821 a soldier, a Vice President to-be, a statesman, and a hero
was born. Although his story would be left out of most history books and his name nearly
forgotten by many after the war that tore a nation apart, he was still a vital piece to the puzzle
that was being constructed by the United States. Although he loved America, he ultimately
fought a losing war against the nation when he sided with the Confederate States of America.
Even though many may see him as a traitor, he was much more than that. John Cabell
Breckinridge was an articulate speaker, lawyer, politician, soldier and leader and men and
women would look up to him for future generations. Mr. John Cabell Breckinridge’s legacy
began before he was ever even born.
II. Ancestry and Early Life
For the Breckenridge’s, it all started in Ireland, when John’s great-grandfather, Alexander
Breckenridge knew that his family was destined to be more than a typical Irish family. To begin a
tradition of history-makers, Alexander Breckenridge moved his wife, Letitia and his children to
Philadelphia in 1728. Just ten short years later, Breckenridge moved the family to Augusta
County, Virginia and before his death in 1773, Breckenridge became the justice of the county,
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colonel of its militia and he also kept a tavern. When he died in 1773, his estate was worth
£3,000. In his will, he left special provisions for his son, John. He wanted certain portions of his
land to be sold and the proceeds to be “put at interest for the use of John, or to give him a learned
education.” (Davis 4)
Unbeknownst to Alexander, John would live to serve the name well and make his father
proud. The proceeds left by his father helped young John to enter the College of William and
Mary at Williamsburg in 1780. During his time at William and Mary, he was also an ensign in
the Botetourt militia during the American Revolution. (Davis 4) This began a long tradition for
the Breckinridge’s of protecting their country with honor, dignity, and respect. After his time at
the College of William and Mary, John was elected to the House of Burgesses at the age of
nineteen. While he was serving in the House of Burgesses, John changed the spelling of their last
name from Breckenridge to Breckinridge. In 1785, Breckinridge married Mary Cabell and
bought 600 acres of land outside of Lexington, Kentucky and named the estate Cabell’s Dale
(Davis, 5). This estate would influence men for at least the next two generations.
Breckinridge was appointed as Kentucky’s attorney general by Thomas Jefferson from
1793 until 1797. After being Kentucky’s attorney general, he was elected into the House of
Representatives and served as the Speaker of the House. In 1798, he introduced the Kentucky
Resolution into the House. He served twice as the Speaker of the House and was elected as a
Senator in 1800 and he remained a senator until he died in 1806. Although his time had ended,
his son Joseph’s had just begun.
Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, the father of John Cabell Breckinridge and the son of John
Breckinridge, attended the College of New Jersey at Princeton, where he met Mary Clay Smith,
who was the daughter of the college’s president, Dr. Samuel Stanhope Smith. Shortly after his
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father’s passing, Breckinridge served in the war of 1812 as an ensign in the United States Navy,
even though he considered the war “foolish and ineffectual.” (Davis 9) In 1817, Breckinridge
won a seat in the U.S. Legislature and he held his seat for two terms before becoming Speaker of
the House of Representatives. (Davis 10) After his time as the Speaker of the House, he served as
Kentucky’s Secretary of State. Shortly after his time as Secretary of State, Joseph Breckinridge
passed away of raging fever in 1823. He left behind his son, John, three daughters, and his wife
Mary Clay Smith Breckinridge.
Although he was only three when his father passed away, young John would feel the
effects immediately. John was sent to live with relatives in Princeton, New Jersey shortly after
his father’s death because his mother was grief-stricken. Also a large burden to his mother and
family, John’s father left the family in debt by nearly $25,000. Because of the large debt, the
family had to move to Cabell’s Dale with John’s paternal grandmother, “Polly” or “Grandma
Black Cap”. She was called Grandma Black Cap for the mourning cap that she refused to set
aside for her late husband, John. Grandma Black Cap would spend a great deal of quality time
with John and their time together influenced the young tot for the rest of his life.
Little Breckinridge returned to Cabell’s Dale shortly after leaving for Princeton. Although
he was three at the time, his mother had begun teaching him to read and write. Along with
learning basic education from his mother, he was learning about his family’s legacy from
Grandma Black Cap. Her eyesight was deteriorating and she could no longer walk throughout
Cabell’s Dale alone, and John was one of her favorite companions for these long walks. The
walks almost always ended at his grandfather’s grave and small room he used for practicing law.
She would tell John, “’twas in this office that my husband would write letters to Tom Jefferson
and to his other friends and it was here that my husband wrote the Kentucky Resolutions of
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1798. ‘Twas here that John Breckinridge transacted his private and public business.” (Davis 12)
So, from a young age, John already knew that much was expected of him; a Kentucky
Breckinridge.
At the age of ten, Breckinridge’s mother sent him to the Kentucky Academy. It was a
church boarding school in Pisgah where John would receive a standard classical education. After
his time at the Kentucky Academy, Breckenridge enrolled in Danville’s Centre College
Freshman class in 1824. Although he had a passion for law, he also loved learning the classics.
He even committed many orations of Demosthenes and Pericles to memory. As well as the
classics, Breckinridge also loved learning about mechanics and even thought of becoming an
Engineer while at Centre College. While at Centre College, Breckinridge learned a great deal
and left lasting impressions on all that came in contact with him. One of his fellow students even
said that he had “brilliancy of parts, readiness of wit, a happy force and luxuriance of
imagination, acuteness in argument and felicity of expression, as a gentleman, scholar, statesman
or a companion.” (Davis 15) After being at Centre College for 4 years, he graduated at the age of
seventeen with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
After he graduated, Breckinridge’s uncle invited him to stay in Princeton to attend the
College of New Jersey at Princeton. John accepted the offer and continued his studies, he did not
receive a degree from the College of New Jersey, but he did receive an education from the
college, and his uncle, that would have a lasting effect on the impressionable young man for the
rest of his life.
Upon his return to Kentucky, Breckenridge made arrangements to study law under Judge
William Owsley. Owsley was a prominent Whig, jurist and politician. After he finished studying
with Owsley, Breckinridge was still not content with his education in law and decided to enroll
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in Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. He spent one year in the law department at
Transylvania, which was considered one of the finest schools in the west. Breckinridge graduated
from Transylvania with his LLB, or Bachelors in Law. The day after he graduated, Breckinridge
went before the Kentucky Court of Appeals and was found “dully qualified to practice as an
attorney and counsellor at law.” (Davis 17) Young Breckinridge had graduated college at
seventeen and was now a lawful attorney at the age of twenty.
III. Political Career
Breckinridge moved to Frankfort, Kentucky shortly after the Kentucky Court of Appeals
accepted him as a lawyer. He had also fallen in love with Susan B. Green, who was known as
Lexington’s most beautiful belle and he announced his intent to marry her to his family and
friends. After arriving in Frankfort, Breckinridge was asked to be the keynote speaker at the
celebration of the Fourth of July, which was a great honor, especially for a man of his age.
Instead of speaking about the typical topics of the time, Breckinridge made his speech about the
origins of freedom and the concept of the rights of man. “Let the liberty of the press and the
liberty of the country hold an equal place in the hearts of all citizens, for the existence of the one
is involved in that of the other,” Breckinridge expressed. (Davis 20) The speech left a lasting
impression on some and one spectator even said, “Mr. Breckinridge entertained his audience with
a speech characterized alike for its chasteness of diction, its patriotic sentiment, pure morality,
and sound philosophy.” (Davis 21)
Speaking at the Fourth of July celebration was about all that went well for Breckinridge
that summer. Breckinridge was unsuccessful in finding an office to practice law during that
season. He also ran out of money and Miss Green no longer had feelings for him, because she
had transferred her affections to another man, leaving Breckinridge heartbroken. (Davis 22). A
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few months later, he borrowed $100 from his uncle, mounted his favorite horse and headed west
with his cousin, Thomas Bullock. They had heard of the town of Burlington, Iowa and it seemed
to be a perfect place for two young lawyers to set up a law firm.
The workload was slow for the law firm of Bullock and Breckinridge, but they both
seemed to be adjusting quite well to their new home. After searching, John settled into a rented
room that he later called the “den of iniquity.” (Davis 24) The only items he had to his name
were a straw bed and a broom, but John Breckinridge seemed happy with his new home,
practice, and law practice. The income was slow, because the young lawyers pay sometimes
came in the form of beets, potatoes and other crops that the residents had grown, but finally, in
1842, Breckinridge predicted that the firm would make $300-400 and be able to support
themselves.
It was during his time in Burlington that Breckinridge changed paths from his traditional
roots and converted to the Democratic Party. His family was traditionally considered to be
Whigs, and no doubt this upset some family members, in particular, his uncle that he had lived
with in New Jersey. Although disappointed, they still talked and had a terrific relationship,
almost that of a father and son. Other family members reacted more harshly to his change of
political parties. William Breckinridge reacted to the news by stating, “I felt as I would have
done if I had heard that my daughter had been dishonored” and his Uncle Young responded by
saying, “You have become loco foco.” (Davis 27)
Breckinridge also became fascinated with the American Indian during his time in Iowa.
He had been fascinated by the natives since his youth, but his time in Iowa reaffirmed that
interest and he was always friendly and courteous to the tribes around Burlington and they
always returned his kindness. It was because of his constant kindness that a band of Sauk and
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Fox Indians invited him on a “Buffaloe Hunt!” and Breckinridge gladly accepted. (Davis 25) He
was taken on this memorable expidition and even though the hunt ended without killing many
buffalo, the most memorable part of the trip was when Breckinridge head an address by the chief
Keokuk. He understood not a word, but the man’s voice and manner would leave a lasting
impression on Breckinridge for the rest of his life.
Another hobby that piqued the interest of the young lawyer was masonry. During his time
in the West, Breckinridge joined Des Moines Lodge Number 41, the Grande Lodge of Missouri
and the Knights Templar. He spent a great deal of time with his new hobby and quickly rose to
the rank of senior warden. He received his first three degrees in Masonry and was soon
considered to be a Master Mason.
Although he recently had his heart broken, Breckinridge seemed to be enjoying the
