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John Witherspoon Breckinridge

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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
Parent(s)John C. Breckinridge
Mary Cyrene Burch Breckinridge
RelativesBreckinridge family
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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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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