John Witherspoon Breckenridge

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John Witherspoon "Owen" Breckinridge

Birthdate:
Birthplace: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, United States
Death: May 09, 1892 (41)
at his home, Merced, Merced County, California, United States (cramp colic)
Place of Burial: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, United States
Immediate Family:

Son of John Cabell Breckinridge, 14th Vice President of the USA and Mary Cyrene Breckinridge
Husband of Louise Breckenridge and Harriett Breckinridge
Father of Lloyd Tevis Breckenridge; John Cabell Breckenridge and Florence Louise Fermor-Hesketh, Baroness Hesketh
Brother of Rep.(CSN), Clifton Rodes Breckinridge, Sr.; Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, II; Frances Steele; Mary Desha Maltby and John Breckinridge Hall
Half brother of Isaac Breckenridge

Managed by: Stephanie Jeanne Olmstead-Dean
Last Updated:

About John Witherspoon Breckenridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Witherspoon_Breckinridge

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. 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, Frances Viley (née Breckenridge) Steele, and Mary Desha (née Breckinridge) Maltby. He was named after his great-great-grandfather, John Witherspoon, who signed the Declaration of Independence.

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

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. He also served as District Attorney of Merced County, California until his death in 1892. In his obituary, it was said:

"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."

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.

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. He later became ill and was confined to a mental asylum outside of Paris.

Florence Louise Breckinridge (1881–1956), who married Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 1st Baron Hesketh.

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

Breckinridge died on May 9, 1892 in Merced, California.

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.

Through his daughter Florence, he was the grandfather of Frederick Fermor-Hesketh, 2nd Baron Hesketh (1916–1955), the British peer and soldier.

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Obituary from The Mariposa Gazette, 14 May 1892:

Hon. John Witherspoon Owen Breckinridge died very suddenly at his home in Merced about midnight, May 9th. He was in his usual health and spirits up to nine o'clock that night, at which time he was seized with cramp colic, and although all available remedies were used he died within a couple of hours.

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. For fifteen years he made his home in California, and most of that time has been spent in Merced, of which county he was District Attorney; and also represented this district in the Assembly.

He was the son of John C. Breckinridge who was Vice-President under Buchanan. Very many friends will feel regret over the sudden death of this talented man.

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John Witherspoon Breckenridge's Timeline

1850
December 22, 1850
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, United States
1860
1860
Age 9
Lexington, Fayette, Kentucky
1878
1878
1879
July 1879
California, USA
1881
November 1881
Rufford, Lancashire, United Kingdom
1892
May 9, 1892
Age 41
at his home, Merced, Merced County, California, United States
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Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, United States