John Breathitt (1786 - 1834)

Born 9 Sep 1786 in Henry, Virginia, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Caroline Matilda (Whitaker) Breathitt — married 26 Mar 1812 in Logan County, Kentucky

Husband of Susannah Mildred (Harris) Breathitt — married 19 Nov 1825 in Kentucky

Descendants

Died 21 Feb 1834 at age 47 in Frankfort, Franklin, Kentucky, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Douglas Henry [send private message] and Terri Crowell-Laney [send private message]

Preceded by 10th Governor Thomas Metcalfe

John Breathitt 11th Governor of Kentucky 1832-1834

Succeeded by 12th Governor James Turner Morehead

Biography

John Breathitt is Notable.

John Breathitt lived in Appalachia, in Kentucky.

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, Kentucky was created and named in his honor.

Early in life Breathitt was appointed a deputy surveyor in Illinois Territory. On his return to Kentucky, he taught at a country school and through wise investments, amassed enough wealth to sustain him while he studied law with Judge Caleb Wallace. In 1811, he was elected to the first of several terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives. He was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 1828. Although his running mate William T. Barry lost the office of governor to Thomas Metcalfe, Breathitt defeated his opponent for lieutenant governor.

During his term as lieutenant governor, Breathitt was one of several proposed candidates to succeed John Rowan in the United States Senate, but the General Assembly deadlocked over the appointment and the seat went unfilled until the Assembly's next term. In the next gubernatorial election in 1832, Breathitt was the Democratic nominee for governor. Again, Breathitt won, but James Turner Morehead, the Whig candidate for Lieutenant governor, defeated Breathitt's running mate. Initially, Breathitt enjoyed popularity for his public condemnation of John C. Calhoun's doctrine of nullification, but he did not fare well in state politics because the Whigs controlled the legislature. He died in office of tuberculosis on February 21, 1834.

John Breathitt was born near New London, Henry County, Virginia. He was the eldest of five sons and four daughters. His father William Breathitt immigrated to Maryland from Scotland and then settled in Virginia. John Breathitt's brother, George, became a private secretary to President Andrew Jackson. Another brother, James became Commonwealth's Attorney for the state of Kentucky.

Breathitt was educated at home and in the public schools of his native state. In early adulthood, he was appointed deputy surveyor in the Illinois territory. He then returned to Kentucky to teach in a country school. He invested his income in land purchases and shortly amassed enough wealth to sustain him for a few years. Financially stable, he resolved to read law under Judge Caleb Wallace. He was admitted to the bar of Russellville, Kentucky in 1810 and opened his practice there.

In 1812, Breathitt married Caroline Whitaker of Logan County, Kentucky. The couple had a son and a daughter. When his first wife died, he married Susan M. Harris of Chesterfield County, Virginia. Breathitt had another daughter by his second wife. Though Breathitt himself died at age 47, he survived both of his wives.

Breathitt was elected to represent Logan County in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1811, and was re-elected every year until 1815. In the gubernatorial election of 1828, the Democrats chose William T. Barry as their candidate for governor. Initially, they offered the nomination for lieutenant governor to Judge John P. Oldham, but Oldham declined and Breathitt was chosen as his replacement. Barry lost the governorship to National Republican Thomas Metcalfe, but Breathitt defeated Metcalfe's running mate Joseph R. Underwood by more than 1,000 votes.

As lieutenant governor, Breathitt promoted the creation of public schools in the state. On December 31, 1829, he was elected president of the Kentucky Educational Society whose states mission was to promote improvement and diffusion of popular education by the circulation of information by enlisting the pulpit and the press practicable. In 1833, he became president of the Kentucky Common School Society.

In 1831, Breathitt was one of several candidates put before the General Assembly to succeed John Rowan in the United States Senate. He received 66 of 137 votes, 3 votes short of a majority. Other unsuccessful nominees included John J. Crittenden (68 votes), Richard Meator Johnson (64 votes), and Charles a Wickliffe (49 votes).

For more on Governor John Breathitt go to the wikipedia site listed below.

Sources

• Find A Grave Memorial# 7932466

• John Breathitt on Wikipedia

• Douglas M. Henry; www.ancestry.com

Acknowledgements

• This person was created through the import of Crowell1_2010-09-21_01.ged on 22 September 2010.