John Witherspoon Breckinridge
District Attorney of Merced County, California
In office
c. 1890–1892
Member of the California State Assembly
In office
1884–1888
Personal details
Born(1850-12-22)December 22, 1850
Lexington, Kentucky, US
DiedMay 9, 1892(1892-05-09) (aged 41)
Merced, California, US
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Louise Tevis
​
​
(m. 1877; div. 1881)​

Harriett Dudley
RelationsBreckinridge family
Parent(s)John C. Breckinridge
Mary Cyrene Burch Breckinridge
Alma materWashington and Lee University
OccupationLawyer, politician

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.[3] He was named after his great-great-grandfather, John Witherspoon, who signed the Declaration of Independence.[3]

Known as "Owen" in appreciation of the heavy vote his father received in Owen County,[4] he attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.[5]

Career

Around 1877, Breckinridge moved to California eventually settling in Merced in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley.[6] Breckinridge was a member of California State Assembly from 1884 to 1885.[7] He also served as District Attorney of Merced County, California, until his death in 1892. In his obituary, it was said:[7]

"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."[8]

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:

  • Lloyd Tevis Breckinridge (1878–1901), who attended Harvard and later killed himself at the family home in San Francisco, where he lived with his grandmother and uncle, Dr. Harry Tevis.[9][10]
  • John Cabell Breckinridge Sr. (1879–1914), who married Adelaide Murphy, a daughter of Samuel Green Murphy, president of the First National Bank of San Francisco, in 1902.[11][12] He later became ill and was confined to a mental asylum outside of Paris.[13]
  • Florence Louise Breckinridge (1881–1956), who married Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 1st Baron Hesketh.[14][15]

Owen and Louise divorced and she remarried to Frederick William Sharon (a son of U.S. Senator William Sharon)[16] in 1883 with whom she had four more children. Owen remarried to Harriett Dudley.[3]

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.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 University, Washington and Lee (1893). Historical Papers No. 4. Lexington, Virginia. p. 116. Retrieved 1 March 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ↑ "C.R. BRECKINRIDGE DEFEATED.; Judge John S. Little Will Succeed Him in Congress". The New York Times. 25 June 1894. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Browning, Charles Henry (1891). Americans of Royal Descent: A Collection of Genealogies of American Families Whose Lineage is Traced to the Legitimate Issue of Kings. Porter & Costes. p. 357. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  4. ↑ Hess, Stephen (2017). America's Political Dynasties. Routledge. p. 263. ISBN 978-1-351-53215-0. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  5. ↑ University, Washington and Lee (1888). Catalogue of the Officers and Alumni of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, 1749-1888. J. Murphy & Company. p. 148. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "J.C. BRECKINRIDGE'S SON.; OUTLINE OF HIS VARIED CAREER ON THE PACIFIC COAST". The New York Times. 14 September 1884. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 "John W. Breckinridge". www.joincalifornia.com. JoinCalifornia. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  8. ↑ John W. Breckinridge, Mariposa Gazette 14 May 1892.
  9. ↑ of 1900, Harvard College (1780-) Class (1906). Second Report. Harvard University Press. p. 40. Retrieved 1 March 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "L.T. BRECKINRIDGE A SUICIDE.; Grandson of the Late Vice President Breckinridge Takes His Own Life Because of Despondency". The New York Times. 27 July 1901. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  11. ↑ "MISS MURPHY DID NOT INVITE PARENTS". Oakland Tribune. 18 July 1902. p. 1. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  12. ↑ Times, Special to The New York (19 July 1902). "YOUNG COUPLE ELOPE.; San Francisco Bank President's Daughter Weds John Cabell Breckinridge's Grandson". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  13. ↑ "MRS. BRECKENREDGE TO PAY VISIT". Oakland Tribune. 10 March 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Hesketh, Baron (UK, 1935)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  15. ↑ TIMES, Special Cable to THE NEW YORK (12 September 1909). "AN EMBASSY WEDDING.; Miss Breckinridge Becomes the Bride of an Englishman In Paris". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  16. ↑ Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage. Burke's Peerage Limited. 1914. p. 1008. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "OBITUARY -- John 'Bunny' Breckinridge". SFGate. November 9, 1996. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
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