Biographical Note

William Campbell Preston Breckinridge was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 28, 1837, a son of Robert J. and Ann Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge. After studying law at the University of Louisville, Breckinridge was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1857. In 1861, he joined the Confederate Army as a captain and in 1862 was promoted to colonel of the 9th Kentucky Cavalry. At the close of the war, he commanded the Kentucky cavalry serving as bodyguard of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Following the war, Breckinridge returned to Kentucky and worked as an attorney, a newspaper editor, and a professor at the University of Kentucky. He later entered politics and served five terms in the U. S. House of Representatives. A breach of promise lawsuit and scandal effectively ended his political career. Following his departure from political office, Breckinridge, with his son Desha, purchased the Lexington Morning Herald. William C. P. Breckinridge died on November 19, 1904.

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