Scott Dudley Breckinridge (May 23, 1882 – August 1, 1941) was an American fencer and

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined ...

. He competed in the individual

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

and team

épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contain ...

events at the 1912 Summer Olympics.

Early life

Breckinridge was born in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

on May 23, 1882. He was the son of Louise Ludlow ( née Dudley) and

Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Sr. Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Sr. (January 14, 1842 – August 18, 1920) was a Union Army officer from Kentucky during the American Civil War. In later life, he became a brigadier general in the U.S. Regular Army and Inspector General of the Army as ...

Brown, Alexander
The Cabells and Their Kin: A Memorial Volume of History, Biography, and Genealogy
' (1895). Among his many siblings was older brother was

Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Jr. 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 ...

, an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

who died while serving on the torpedo boat USS ''Cushing''. His younger brother,

Henry Skillman Breckinridge Henry Skillman Breckinridge (May 25, 1886 – May 2, 1960) was an American lawyer and politician who was a member of the prominent Breckinridge family and served as the United States Assistant Secretary of War from 1913 to 1916. During the Lindb ...

, served as the

United States Assistant Secretary of War The United States Assistant Secretary of War was the second–ranking official within the American Department of War from 1861 to 1867, from 1882 to 1883, and from 1890 to 1940. According to thMilitary Laws of the United States "The act of August 5 ...

under President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

. Unlike his father's cousin,

John Cabell Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...

, a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and former

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

, his father Joseph was a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

officer from Kentucky during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

who served as Inspector General of the Army and was a

of volunteers in the

. His paternal grandfather was

Robert Jefferson Breckinridge Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (March 8, 1800 – December 27, 1871) was a politician and Presbyterian minister. He was a member of the Breckinridge family of Kentucky, the son of Senator John Breckinridge. A restless youth, Breckinridge wa ...

, a Presbyterian minister, politician, public office holder and abolitionist. His maternal grandfather was

Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley (1818 – February 20, 1862) was a prominent Kentucky physician and a member of the faculty of Transylvania Medical School. Early life Dudley, the son of Ambrose Dudley, was born near Lexington, Kentucky. He was educate ...

, a prominent physician in Lexington, Kentucky.

Career

Breckinridge attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

where he excelled at fencing. He became a member of the United States fencing team at the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden, competing in the épée and foil. He later coached the fencing team at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

. Breckinridge left West Point without graduating in 1904 to attend the

Georgetown University School of Medicine Georgetown University School of Medicine, a medical school opened in 1851, is one of Georgetown University's five graduate schools. It is located on Reservoir Road in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, adjacent to the University's ...

where he graduated with a degree in medicine in 1907 and then interned at

Providence Hospital Providence Hospital may refer to: *Providence Hospital (Columbia, South Carolina) *Providence Hospital (Mobile) in Mobile, Alabama *Providence Hospital (Southfield), Michigan *Providence Hospital (Washington, D.C.) in Washington, D.C. *Providence Al ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and Columbia University Hospital in New York City. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served in the Army Medical Corps and was promoted to Colonel.

Personal life

In 1911, Breckinridge was married to Gertrude Ashby Bayne (1883–1981). Together, they were the parents of two sons and a daughter, including: *

John Bayne Breckinridge John Bayne Breckinridge (November 29, 1913 – July 29, 1979) was an American politician, a Democrat who served as Attorney General of Kentucky twice and also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky. Ear ...

(1913–1979), who became 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. * Scott Dudley Breckinridge Jr. (1917–2000), who became the Deputy Inspector General of the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

. * Gertrude Bayne "Trudy" Breckinridge (1922–2014), who married Compton Sargent in 1944. She later married Francis Bradley Peyton III in 1948. Breckinridge died at his home in Lexington, Kentucky on August 1, 1941.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Breckinridge, Scott 1882 births 1941 deaths Breckinridge family American male épée fencers Fencers from San Francisco American male foil fencers United States Military Academy alumni Georgetown University School of Medicine alumni 20th-century American physicians American gynecologists Olympic fencers for the United States Fencers at the 1912 Summer Olympics United States Army personnel of World War I American military doctors United States Army colonels