Breckinridge family.

The Breckinridges have been prominent in both state and national politics since Kentucky became a state in 1792. John Breckinridge (1769-1806), a young Virginia lawyer and U.S. Congressman, brought his family to Kentucky that year, and immediately entered into politics. He became, successively, state attorney general, member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, Speaker of that House, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Attorney General under Thomas Jefferson. His son, also named John Breckinridge (1797-1841), was a Presbyterian minister noted for his debates with Roman Catholic clergymen. A grandson, John Cabell Breckinridge (1821-1875), became the most famous member of the family. He was, in turn, a U.S. Congressman, Vice President under James Buchanan, Southern Democratic nominee for President in 1860, U.S. Senator, Confederate General and Confederate Secretary of War.