James Douglas Breckinridge (1781 – May 6, 1849) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. He was a member of the noted

Breckinridge family The Breckinridge family is a family of public figures from the United States. The family has included six members of the United States House of Representatives, two United States Senators, a cabinet member, two ambassadors, one United States Vice P ...

. Breckinridge was born in Woodville, Kentucky, in 1781. He attended Washington College (now

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

) in

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...

, from 1800 to 1803, where he studied law. After completing his studies, he was admitted to the bar and opened a law practice in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. Breckinridge served as member of the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

from 1809 to 1811. He was appointed judge by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Joseph Desha Joseph Desha (December 9, 1768 – October 11, 1842) was a U.S. Representative and the ninth governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Desha's Huguenot ancestors fled from France to Pennsylvania, wh ...

in April 1826, but declined to serve. Breckinridge was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the 17th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Wingfield Bullock Wingfield Bullock (1766October 13, 1821) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. Born in 1766 in Spotsylvania, Virginia, Bullock studied law. He moved to Kentucky. He served as member of the Kentucky Senate from Shelby County from 1812 to 181 ...

(November 21, 1821 – March 3, 1823). His campaign in 1822, at the end of that term, for election in his own election to the 18th Congress was unsuccessful. Following his leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law. Breckinridge married Lucy Fry Speed, daughter of

John Speed John Speed (1551 or 1552 – 28 July 1629) was an English cartographer, chronologer and historian of Cheshire origins.S. Bendall, 'Speed, John (1551/2–1629), historian and cartographer', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP 2004/ ...

. Breckinridge died in

, on May 6, 1849, and was interred in St. John's Cemetery. His remains were later re-interred in St. Louis Catholic Cemetery, Louisville in 1867.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breckinridge, James Douglas 1781 births 1849 deaths People from Ballard County, Kentucky Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Breckinridge family Burials at St. Louis Cemetery, Louisville Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 19th-century American legislators