John Breathitt
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John Breathitt (September 9, 1786 – February 21, 1834) was the 11th
Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-el ...
. He was the first
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
to hold this office and was the second Kentucky governor to die in office. Shortly after his death,
Breathitt County, Kentucky Breathitt County ( ) is a county in the eastern Appalachian portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 13,718. Its county seat is Jackson. The county was formed in 1839 and was named for John B ...
was organized and named in his honor. Early in life, Breathitt was appointed a deputy surveyor in
Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ...
. On his return to Kentucky, he taught at a country school. Through investments, he amassed enough wealth to live on while he studied law ("read the law") with Judge Caleb Wallace. In 1811, Breathitt was elected to the first of several terms in 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 ...
. He was the Democratic nominee for
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
in 1828. Although his running mate
William T. Barry William Taylor Barry (February 5, 1784 – August 30, 1835) was an American slave owner, statesman and jurist. He served as Postmaster General for most of the administration of President Andrew Jackson and was the only Cabinet member not to resi ...
lost the office of governor to Thomas Metcalfe, Breathitt defeated his opponent for lieutenant governor. During his term as lieutenant governor, Breathitt was one of several proposed candidates to succeed John Rowan in the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
. The
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
deadlocked over the appointment and the seat went unfilled until the Assembly's next term. In the next gubernatorial election in 1832, Breathitt was nominated by the Democrats for governor. Breathitt won, but James Turner Morehead, the Whig candidate for lieutenant governor, defeated Breathitt's running mate. Initially, Breathitt enjoyed popularity for his public condemnation of John C. Calhoun's doctrine of
nullification Nullification may refer to: * Nullification (U.S. Constitution), a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify any federal law deemed unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution * Nullification Crisis, the 1832 confront ...
, but he struggled in state politics because the Whigs controlled the legislature. He died in office of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
on February 21, 1834.


Early life

John Breathitt was born near New London,
Henry County, Virginia Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,948. The county seat is usually identified as Martinsville; however, the administration building (where county offices are located an ...
on September 9, 1786.Collins, et al., pp. 211–212 He was the eldest of five sons and four daughters born to William and Elizabeth (Whitsett) Breathitt.Harrison, p. 115 William Breathitt had immigrated to
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
from
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, then settled in Virginia.Powell, p. 32 Elizabeth was of English ancestry. Two younger brothers later also became active in politics: George Breathitt served as a private secretary to
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Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
. James Breathitt became
Commonwealth's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...
for the state of Kentucky. Their sister Jane Breathitt married Dr.
John Sappington John S. Sappington (1776-1856) was an American physician known for developing a quinine pill to treat malarial and other fever diseases in the Missouri and Mississippi valleys, where the disease was widespread. He later used the pill to prevent m ...
from
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, and the couple moved to central Missouri territory in 1817. There Sappington developed businesses, and then acquired land and
slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
, becoming politically influential in Saline County. But he became nationally known for his development of a patent medicine:
quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg cr ...
pills to treat
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
and other fevers, which were widespread in the Missouri and Mississippi valleys. He manufactured and sold the pills, which became national bestsellers. Two of the Sappington sons-in-law became governors of Missouri, as did one of his and Jane's grandsons. Breathitt was educated at home and in the few public schools of his native state.NGA Bio His family moved to
Logan County, Kentucky Logan County is a county in the southwest Pennyroyal Plateau area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,432. Its county seat is Russellville. History The county is named for Benjamin Logan, who ...
in 1800, where he continued his education.Levin, p. 482 In early adulthood, he was appointed as a deputy surveyor in Illinois Territory. He returned to Kentucky, where he taught in a country school. He invested his income in land purchases, and shortly amassed enough wealth to sustain him for a few years. He studied or
read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...
under Judge Caleb Wallace. He was admitted to the bar of
Russellville, Kentucky Russellville is a home rule-class city in Logan County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,960 at the time of the 2010 census. History Local historian Alex C. Finley has claimed the area was firs ...
in 1810 and opened his practice there. In 1812, Breathitt married Caroline Whitaker of Logan County.Mathias, p. 38 The couple had a son and a daughter together. After Caroline died, Breathitt married Susan M. Harris of
Chesterfield County, Virginia Chesterfield County is located just south of Richmond, Virginia, Richmond in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The county's borders are primarily defined by the James River to the north and the Appomattox River to the sout ...
. Breathitt had another daughter by his second wife. Although Breathitt died at age 47, he had survived both of his wives.


Political career

Breathitt was elected to represent Logan County in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1811, and was re-elected every year until 1815. In the gubernatorial election of 1828, the Democrats chose William T. Barry as their candidate for governor. Initially, they offered the nomination for lieutenant governor to Judge John P. Oldham, but Oldham declined, and Breathitt was chosen as his replacement. Barry lost the governorship to
National Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...
Thomas Metcalfe, but Breathitt defeated Metcalfe's running mate Joseph R. Underwood by more than 1,000 votes. As lieutenant governor, Breathitt promoted the creation of public schools in the state. On December 31, 1829, he was elected president of the Kentucky Educational Society, whose stated mission was to
"promote improvement and diffusion of popular education by the circulation of information, by enlisting the pulpit and the press, by procuring the delivery of popular addresses on the subject on the 4th day of July, and in different neighborhoods, and by other means that may be found practicable."
In 1833, Breathitt became president of the Kentucky Common School Society.Kerr, pp. 762–763 In 1831, Breathitt was one of several candidates put before the General Assembly to succeed John Rowan in the United States Senate. He received 66 of 137 votes, 3 votes short of a
majority A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from #Related terms, related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-WebsterJohn J. Crittenden John Jordan Crittenden (September 10, 1787 July 26, 1863) was an American statesman and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as Unite ...
(68 votes),
Richard Mentor Johnson Richard Mentor Johnson (October 17, 1780 – November 19, 1850) was an American lawyer, military officer and politician who served as the ninth vice president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841 under President Martin Van Buren ...
(64 votes), and Charles A. Wickliffe (49 votes). After 15 ballots, the Assembly was unable to select a nominee, and postponed the matter until the next session. At that session, the Assembly chose
Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...
to fill the seat.


Governor of Kentucky

In 1832, the Democrats selected Breathitt and Benjamin Taylor as their candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. They faced a Whig (formerly National Republican) ticket of
Richard Aylett Buckner Richard Aylett Buckner (February 5, 1784 – December 8, 1847) was a lawyer and farmer who served United States representative from Kentucky as well as Surveyor-General of Kentucky and Kentucky judge of the 18th judicial district. He may be best ...
and James Turner Morehead.Mathias, p. 39 Buckner was hurt by his highly religious ideals, including opposition to handling mail on Sunday, and failed to garner the support of some of his own party's newspapers. Breathitt defeated Buckner by a small margin, but Morehead defeated Taylor, Breathitt's little-known running mate. Breathitt's election marked the first time a Democrat was elected to the governorship of Kentucky. The election was marred by
fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...
, however. In Oldham County, the number of votes tallied represented 162.9% of the eligible voters in the county, and these votes were recorded as two-to-one in favor of Breathitt. Most Kentuckians were more concerned about the upcoming
presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...
, hoping Whig and native son Henry Clay would defeat Democrat Andrew Jackson. Because of this leaning, voters elected Whig candidates for most of the other state offices. Early in his term, Breathitt won favor from both Whigs and Democrats by opposing
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
's actions during the Nullification Crisis. Following Breathitt's lead, the state legislature passed resolutions condemning the doctrine of nullification on February 2, 1833. This action was particularly significant because John C. Calhoun's justification for nullification was largely based on the 1799
Kentucky Resolutions The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799 in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. The resolutions argued t ...
. Breathitt did not fare as well in state politics. He ardently supported Jacksonian principles, and wielded his
veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
against bills critical of President Jackson's land policy. He supported Jackson's desire to dissolve the
Second Bank of the United States The Second Bank of the United States was the second federally authorized Hamiltonian national bank in the United States. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the bank was chartered from February 1816 to January 1836.. The Bank's formal name, ac ...
. Instead, he favored opening a number of state banks but, faced with a Whig majority in the legislature, he succeeded only in chartering the Louisville Bank of Kentucky. He also favored completion of the
Lexington and Ohio Railroad The Lexington and Ohio Railroad was the first railroad in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. Its charter proposed the establishment of a link between Lexington in the center of the Bluegrass Region to the river port of Louisville at the Falls of th ...
to improve infrastructure and access to markets. He supported a $300,000 loan from the state Board of Internal Improvements for that purpose. In 1833, a loan for half the amount was approved, resulting in the railroad not being completed until 1851. Breathitt was part of the
temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...
in Kentucky. In an 1832 address, he blamed consumption of alcohol for the high murder rate in the state. When the Kentucky Legislative Temperance Society was formed at a meeting in the state house on January 13, 1834, Breathitt was chosen as its president and Lieutenant Governor Morehead served as one of five vice-presidents. Breathitt died in office of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
in the governor's mansion in Frankfort on February 21, 1834. He was the second sitting governor of Kentucky to die in office. Originally buried in the Breathitt family cemetery, he was later re-interred at Maple Grove Cemetery in Russellville. Breathitt County, Kentucky was formed in 1839 and named in his honor. On March 5, 1872, the Kentucky General Assembly resolved to erect a monument over Breathitt's grave in Russellville.''Acts of the General Assembly'', p. 100


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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Breathitt, John 1786 births 1834 deaths People from Henry County, Virginia American Presbyterians American slave owners American people of Scottish descent 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Democratic Party governors of Kentucky Tuberculosis deaths in Kentucky Kentucky lawyers Lieutenant Governors of Kentucky Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers