Breathitt, Edward Thompson, 1924-2003.

Edward Thompson Breathitt was a state legislator and governor of Kentucky. He was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on November 26, 1924. He attended local public schools and graduated from Hopkinsville High School in 1942. During the Second World War, he served in the United States Army Air Force. Following the war, Breathitt attended the University of Kentucky and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration in 1948. In 1951, he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives where he served three consecutive terms. Breathitt was appointed State Personnel Commissioner in 1959 and later was a member of the Kentucky Public Service Commission. He was elected governor of Kentucky in 1962 and served a single term. After being governor, he became director of the Ford Foundation Institute for Rural America and was a founder of the Coalition for Rural America. He served on the board of regents for both the University of Kentucky and Morehead State University and received an honorary doctorate from Murray State University. He died on October 14, 2003.