The Breckinridge family is a family of politicians and public figures from the United States. The family has included six members of the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

, two United States Senators, a cabinet member, two Ambassadors, a Vice President of United States and an unsuccessful Presidential candidate. Breckinridges have served as college presidents, prominent ministers, soldiers, theologians and in important positions at state and local levels. The family was most notable in the State of Kentucky and most prominent during the 19th century, during nearly one-third of which a member of the family served in the Congress of the United States. Below is a list of members.

• Alexander Breckenridge (1686–1743), First Breckenridge in New World
  New World
  The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
  
  , emigrated to Philadelphia PA c. 1728. Married to Jane Preston in 1695 in County Londonderry
  County Londonderry
  The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
  
  , Ireland. She was sister of Robert Preston, first Speaker of Kentucky State House of Representatives .
  • Robert Breckenridge, Sr. (1720–1773), here termed Colonel Robert Breckenridge, Captain in Virginia militia during the French and Indian War
    French and Indian War
    The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
    
     and officer in the Revolutionary Army. Son of Alexander Breckenridge I. Married first Sarah Poage. After his first wife's death Breckenridge married second, his first cousin Letitia Preston.
    • Alexander Breckenridge, son of Robert Breckenridge and Sarah Poage, here termed Captain Alexander Breckenridge. Married wealthy widow Jane Buchanan Floyd whose son John Floyd
      John Floyd (Virginia politician)
      John Floyd was a Virginia politician and soldier. He represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 25th Governor of Virginia....
      
       was Governor of Virginia
      Governor of Virginia
      The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
      
      .
      • James Douglas Breckinridge
        James D. Breckinridge
        James Douglas Breckinridge was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. He was a member of the Breckinridge family.Born in Woodville, near Louisville, Kentucky, Breckinridge attended Washington College , Lexington, Virginia from 1800 to 1803.He studied law.He was admitted to the bar and commenced...
        
        , son of Captain Alexander Breckenridge (d. 1849), member of Kentucky House of Representatives
        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 a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
        
         (1809–11) and the U.S. House of Representatives (1821–23).
    • Robert Breckenridge (1754–1833), son of Col. Robert Breckenridge and Sarah Poage, Revolutionary War General. Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution. Kentucky
      Kentucky
      The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
      
       State Representative 1792–1795. Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives
      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 a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
      
      . Brother of Captain Alexander Breckenridge; half-brother of John Breckinridge and James Breckinridge. Robert Breckenridge never married. Nota Bene: During his lifetime Colonel Robert Breckenridge spelled his surname as shown here, as did his father Alexander Breckenridge I. His sons by Leticia Preston, (i.e. James and John) began spelling the family name 'Breckinridge'.
    • James Breckinridge
      James Breckinridge
      James Breckinridge was a Virginia lawyer and politician. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates, as well as the U.S. House of Representatives. He also fought in the American Revolutionary War and served as a brigadier-general during the War of 1812.-Family and early life:Breckinridge was...
      
       (1763–1833), Virginia House Delegate 1789–1802 1806–1808 1819–1821 1823–1824, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia 1809–1817. Brother of John Breckinridge, Son of Robert Breckinridge and Letitia Preston.
    • John Breckinridge
      John Breckinridge (1760-1806)
      John Breckinridge was a United States Senator and Attorney General. He was the progenitor of the Breckinridge political family.-Early Life in Virginia:...
      
       (1760–1806), Member of House of Burgesses
      House of Burgesses
      The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America...
      
      , U.S. District Attorney of Kentucky 1793–1794, Attorney General of Kentucky 1793–1797, Kentucky State Representative 1788–1790 1799–1801, delegate to the Kentucky Constitutional Convention 1799, U.S. Senator from Kentucky 1801–1805, Attorney General of the United States under Jefferson 1805–1806. Married Mary Hopkins Cabell in 1785. Half-brother of Alexander and Robert Breckenridge, brother of James Breckinridge, Son of Colonel Robert Breckinridge and Letitia Preston.
      • Letitia Breckinridge, Daughter of John Breckinridge. Married first to Alfred William Grayson in 1804. Graduate of Cambridge University, lawyer, son of Senator William Grayson
        William Grayson
        William Grayson was a soldier, lawyer, and statesman from Virginia. He was one of the first two U.S. Senators from Virginia, and belonged to the Anti-Federalist faction.-Biography:...
        
         of Virginia. Died in 1810. Married second to Peter B. Porter (1773–1844), New York Assemblyman 1802 and 1828, U.S. Representative from New York 1809–1813 and 1815–1816, New York Secretary of State 1815–1816, U.S. Secretary of War 1828–1829.
        • General John Breckinridge Grayson (1806–1862) Born at Cabell's Dale, Fayette County, Kentucky. Son of Letitia Preston Breckinridge and Alfred William Grayson. Graduated West Point Military Academy, 1826. Lieutenant Colonel
          Lieutenant colonel
          Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
          
           U.S. Army at outbreak of Civil War, resigned in 1861, enterest C.S.A. and commissioned Brigadier General
          Brigadier General
          Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
          
          . Died while in command of the coastal defenses of Georgia and Florida, in Tallahassee 1862.
        • Colonel Peter A. Porter (1827–1864), New York Assemblyman 1861–62, Colonel of the 129th New York State Volunteers, killed in action, 1864, Only son of Peter Buell Porter
          Peter Buell Porter
          Peter Buell Porter was an American lawyer, soldier and politician who served as United States Secretary of War from 1828 to 1829.-Life:...
          
          . Married cousin Mary Cabell Breckinridge in 1852.
          • Peter A. Porter
            Peter A. Porter
            Peter Augustus Porter was a U.S. Representative from New York, and grandson of Peter Buell Porter. Porter was the son of Mary Cabell Breckenridge and Colonel Peter A...
            
             (1853–1925), member of the New York Legislature, U.S. Representative from New York 1907–1909. Son of Peter Augustus Porter and Mary Cabell Breckinridge, Grandson of Peter Buell Porter.
      • Joseph Cabell Breckinridge I (1788–1823), Major in War of 1812
        War of 1812
        The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
        
        . Kentucky State Representative 1817–1818, Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives
        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 a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
        
        . Kentucky Secretary of State 1820–1823. Married Mary Clay Smith, daughter of Samuel Stanhope Smith, President of Princeton University
        Princeton University
        Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
        
        . Son of John Breckinridge.
        • John Cabell Breckinridge
          John C. Breckinridge
          John Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S...
          
           (1821–1875) Member Kentucky House of Representatives
          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 a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
          
           1849–51. U.S. Representative from Kentucky 1851–55. Delegate to the Democratic National Convention
          Democratic National Convention
          The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
          
           in 1856. Vice President of the United States 1857–61. Candidate for President of the United States 1860. United States Senator from Kentucky 1861. Confederate States Secretary of War 1865. Son of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge I.
          • Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, II (1844–1906) Major in the C.S.A. Married Sallie Frances Johnson, daughter of Robert Ward Johnson
            Robert Ward Johnson
            Robert Ward Johnson was a Democratic United States Senator and Confederate States Senator from the State of Arkansas....
            
              in 1869. Son of Hon. John Cabell Breckinridge.
            • John Cabell Breckinridge, II (1870–1941) Prominent New York attorney. Married to Isabella Goodrich (1874–1961), daughter of B.F. Goodrich. Son of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge. Grandson of John Cabell Breckinridge.
              • Mary Marvin Breckinridge (1905–2002), Photojournalist, cinematographer, and philanthropist. Daughter of John Cabell Breckinridge, II and Isabella Goodrich. Great-granddaughter or John Cabell Breckinridge and granddaughter of B.F. Goodrich.
          • Clifton Rhodes Breckinridge
            Clifton R. Breckinridge
            Clifton Rodes Breckinridge was a Democratic alderman, congressman, diplomat, businessman and veteran of the Confederate Army and Navy. He was a member of the prominent Breckinridge family, the son of Vice President of the United States and Confederate General John C. Breckinridge and the...
            
             (1846–1932), U.S. Representative from Arkansas
            Arkansas
            Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
            
             1883–1889 1890–1895, U.S. Minister to Russia
            Russia
            Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
            
             1894–1897, delegate to the Arkansas Constitutional Convention 1917. Married Katherine Breckinridge Carson in 1876. Son of Hon. John Cabell Breckinridge.
            • James Carson Breckinridge
              James Carson Breckinridge
              James Carson Breckinridge was a lieutenant general of the United States Marine Corps. He was the son of Clifton Rhodes Breckinridge and a member of the prominent Breckinridge family.-Military career:...
              
               (1877–1942) Lieutenant General, U.S.M.C., Married Dorothy Throckmorton Thompson, 1922. Son of Clifton Rhodes Breckinridge.
            • Mary Breckinridge
              Mary Breckinridge
              Mary Breckinridge was an American nurse-midwife and the founder of the Frontier Nursing Service. She also was known as Mary Carson Breckinridge.She started family care centers in the Appalachian mountains...
              
               (1881–1965), Founder of the Frontier Nursing Service
              Frontier Nursing Service
              The Frontier Nursing Service provides healthcare services to rural, underserved populations and educates nurse-midwives.The Service maintains six rural healthcare clinics in eastern Kentucky, the Mary Breckinridge Hospital, the Mary Breckinridge Home Health Agency, the Frontier School of Midwifery...
              
              . Married Richard Thompson. Daughter of Clifton Rhodes Breckinridge, sister of James Carson Breckinridge.
          • John Witherspoon Owen Breckinridge (1850–1892) Member of California State Assembly
            California State Assembly
            The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
            
             1884–85. Son of Hon. John Cabell Breckinridge. Married to Louise Tevis, daughter of Lloyd Tevis
            Lloyd Tevis
            Lloyd Tevis was a banker and capitalist who served as president of Wells Fargo & Company from 1872 to 1892.-Early life:...
            
            , First President of Wells Fargo Bank.
            • John Cabell Breckinridge, Sr. (1879–1914) Prominent San Francisco businessman. Son of John Witherspoon Owen Breckinridge. Married Adelaide Murphy, daughter of Samuel Green Murphy, President of the First National Bank of San Francisco, California.
              • John Cabell "Bunny" Breckinridge, Jr.
                Bunny Breckinridge
                John Cabell "Bunny" Breckinridge was an American actor and drag queen, best known for his role as "The Ruler" in Ed Wood's film Plan 9 from Outer Space, his only film appearance.- Early life :...
                
                 (1903–1996) Actor and drag queen. Son of John Cabell Breckinridge, Sr.
      • Rev. John Breckinridge, D. D. (1797–1841) Born at Cabell's Dale, son of John Breckinridge. Presbyterian Minister. Graduated Princeton College 1818, Princeton Theological Seminary
        Princeton Theological Seminary
        Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
        
         1821. Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives. Married in 1823 Margaret, daughter of Rev. Samuel Miller D. D.
        • Mary Cabell Breckinridge (1826–1854) Married cousin Colonel Peter A. Porter in 1852. Daughter of Rev. John Breckinridge.
        • Samuel Miller Breckinridge (1828–1891) Member of Missouri legislature 1854–1855. Became Circuit Court judge in 1859. Elder in the Presbyterian Church and a leading member of its General Assembly. Married Virginia Harrison Castleman. Son of Rev. John Breckinridge.
          • Margaret Miller Breckinridge (1851–1919) Married St. Louis, Missouri businessman William Strudwick Long. Daughter of Samuel Miller Breckinridge.
            • Samuel Miller Breckinridge Long
              Breckinridge Long
              Breckinridge Long was a diplomat and politician who served in the administrations of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.-Early life and career:...
              
               (1881–1958) lawyer and diplomat. Graduated Princeton in 1904. Advisor to Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. U.S. Ambassador to Italy 1933–36. U.S. delegate to Dumbarton Oaks Conference
              Dumbarton Oaks Conference
              The Dumbarton Oaks Conference or, more formally, the Washington Conversations on International Peace and Security Organization was an international conference at which the United Nations was formulated and negotiated among international leaders...
              
              . Son of Margaret Miller Breckinridge and William Strudwick Long.
      • Robert Jefferson Breckinridge
        Robert Jefferson Breckinridge
        Robert Jefferson Breckinridge was a politician and Presbyterian minister. He was a member of the Breckinridge family of Kentucky, the son of Senator John Breckinridge....
        
         (1800–1871), Kentucky State Representative 1825–1828, Kentucky Superintendent of Public Instruction 1849–1853, candidate for delegate to the Kentucky Constitutional Convention 1849. Son of John Breckinridge. Married Ann Sophonisba Preston in 1823.
        • Mary Cabell Breckinridge, (born 1828) Daughter of Robert Jefferson Breckinridge. Married to William Warfield.
          • Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield
            Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield
            Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield was professor of theology at Princeton Seminary from 1887 to 1921. Some conservative Presbyterians consider him to be the last of the great Princeton theologians before the split in 1929 that formed Westminster Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.-Early...
            
             (1851–1921), Presbyterian theologian, principal of Princeton Theological Seminary
            Princeton Theological Seminary
            Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
            
            . Son of Mary Cabell Breckinridge and William Warfield.
          • Ethelbert Dudley Warfield
            Ethelbert Dudley Warfield
            Ethelbert Dudley Warfield, D.D., LL.D. was an American professor of history and college president who served as president of Miami University, Lafayette College and Wilson College. As Miami University's youngest president, he was noted for bringing football to Miami where its first...
            
             (1861–1936) Graduate of Princeton
            Princeton University
            Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
            
            , Oxford
            Oxford
            The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
            
            , and Columbia Law School
            Columbia Law School
            Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
            
            . President of Miami University
            Miami University
            Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
            
             and Lafayette College
            Lafayette College
            Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
            
            , author, Director of Princeton Theological Seminary
            Princeton Theological Seminary
            Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
            
            . Son of Mary Cabell Breckinridge and William Warfield.
        • Robert Jefferson Breckinridge, Jr.
          Robert Jefferson Breckinridge, Jr.
          Robert Jefferson Breckinridge, Jr. was a prominent Kentucky politician and a member of the Breckenridge political family. He was the son of Robert Jefferson Breckinridge and brother of William Campbell Preston Breckinridge. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He served as a colonel in the...
          
           (1834–1915), Confederate States Representative from Kentucky 1862–1865, Colonel in the Confederate States Army, Kentucky Common Pleas Court Judge 1876. Son of Robert Jefferson Breckinridge. Married Katharine Morrison in 1856.
        • Marie Lettice Preston Breckinridge (born 1836), married Rev. William Collins Handy in 1857.
          • L. Irving Handy
            L. Irving Handy
            Levin Irving Handy was an American educator, lawyer and politician, from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served as U. S. Representative from Delaware. He was known by his middle name.-Early life and family:Handy was born in Berlin, Maryland,...
            
             (1861–1922), U.S. Representative from Delaware
            Delaware
            Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
            
             1897–1899, delegate to the Democratic National Convention 1904. Son of Marie Lettice Preston Breckinridge and Rev. William Collins Handy. Nephew of William Campbell Preston Breckinridge.
        • William Campbell Preston Breckinridge
          William Campbell Preston Breckinridge
          William Campbell Preston Breckinridge was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Kentucky, a Member of the Masonic Lodge, and a Member of the Knights Templar. He was the first cousin of Vice President of the United States John C. Breckinridge.He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from...
          
           (1837–1904), delegate to the Democratic National Convention 1876, U.S. Representative from Kentucky 1885–1895. Married Lucretia Hart Clay, granddaughter of Henry Clay
          Henry Clay
          Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
          
          . Son of Robert Jefferson Breckinridge.
          • Desha Breckinridge
            Desha Breckinridge
            Desha Breckinridge was the editor and publisher of the Lexington Herald from 1897 to 1935. In 1898 he married Madeline McDowell, who became nationally known as Madeline McDowell Breckinridge. He was a brother of Sophonisba Breckinridge and the son of William Breckinridge, a member of Congress from...
            
             (1867–1935), editor and publisher of the Lexington Herald. Married Madeline McDowell Breckinridge
            Madeline McDowell Breckinridge
            Madeline McDowell Breckinridge was a leader of the women’s suffrage movement and one of Kentucky's leading Progressive reformers. She was also known as Madge Breckinridge and Mrs...
            
            , great-granddaughter of Henry Clay
            Henry Clay
            Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
            
             in 1898. Son of W.C.P. Breckinridge. Brother of Sophonisba Breckinridge
            Sophonisba Breckinridge
            Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge was an American activist, Progressive Era social reformer, social scientist and innovator in higher education.- Background :...
            
            .
          • Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge (1886–1948), Lawyer, Activist involved in Women's rights, Civil Rights, Labor, and Pacifist movements; namesake of Breckinridge House, a dormitory of the University of Chicago. Daughter of W.C.P. Breckinridge. Sister of Desha Breckinridge.
        • Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr.
          Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr.
          Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr. was a Major General, but fought for the Union in the American Civil War.Breckinridge was a member of the prominent Breckinridge family at the family's Cabell's Dale estate near Lexington, Kentucky...
          
           (1842–1921), General in the U.S. Army. Married Louise Ludlow Dudley, daughter of Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley
          Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley
          Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley was a prominent Kentucky physician and a member of the faculty of Transylvania Medical School.-Early life:Dudley, the son of Ambrose Dudley, was born near Lexington, Kentucky...
          
          , 1868. Son of Robert Jefferson Breckinridge.
          • Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Jr.
            Joseph Breckinridge
            Joseph Cabell Breckinridge was an officer in the United States Navy in the Spanish-American War. He was the son of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr., a Major General in the United States Army, and a member of the prominent Breckinridge family.-Biography:Breckinridge was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia...
            
             (1872–1898), U.S. Naval officer, drowned. Namesake of USS Breckinridge. Son of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr.
          • Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley Breckinridge (1875–1914) Graduated Princeton 1898, Captain in U.S. Army, wounded in the Philippine-American War
            Philippine-American War
            The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection , was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the United States which arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following...
            
            . Son of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr. Married Genevieve Pearson Mattingly (1878–1957).
            • William Mattingly Breckinridge (1905–1996) Major General
              Major General
              Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
              
              , U.S. Army. Chief of the U.S. Army Security Agency. Married Frances Naylor. Son of Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley Breckinridge.
          • Scott Dudley Breckinridge, Sr. (1882–1941) Physician in Lexington, Kentucky
            Lexington, Kentucky
            Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
            
            , author, U.S. Fencing Champion (Foil), 1906 and 1914. Competed in 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. Married Gertrude Ashby Bayne. Son of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr.
            • John Bayne Breckinridge
              John B. Breckinridge
              John Bayne Breckinridge was an American politician, a Democrat who served as Attorney General of Kentucky twice and also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky.-Early life:...
              
               (1913–1979), Colonel in U.S. Army during World War II. Kentucky State Representative 1956–59, Attorney General of Kentucky
              Attorney General of Kentucky
              The Attorney General of Kentucky is an office created by the Kentucky Constitution. . Under Kentucky law, he serves several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor , the state's chief law enforcement officer , and the state's chief law officer...
              
               1960–64, 1968–1972, delegate to the Democratic National Convention
              Democratic National Convention
              The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
              
               1960, U.S. Representative from Kentucky 1973–79. Son of Scott Dudley Breckinridge, Sr.
            • Scott Dudley Breckinridge, Jr. (1917–2000) Deputy Inspector General of the C.I.A., author. Married Helen Virden Babbit. Son of Scott Dudley Breckinridge, Sr.
          • Henry Skillman Breckinridge (1886–1960), Colonel in U.S. Army, United States Assistant Secretary of War
            United States Assistant Secretary of War
            The United States Assistant Secretary of War was the second-ranking official within the American Department of War from 1861 to 1867, from 1882 to 1883, and from 1890 to 1940...
            
            , prominent attorney, U.S Fencing Champion (Épée), 1924. Son of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr. Married Ruth Bradley Woodman in 1910, member of prominent New England Perkins Family
            George H. Perkins
            Commodore George Hamilton Perkins was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
            
            .
            • Elizabeth Foster Breckinridge (1911–2005), Prominent Washington, D.C. socialite and philanthropist. Daughter of Henry Skillman Breckinridge. Married to John Stephens Graham
              John Stephens Graham
              John Stephens Graham was a Washington, D.C. attorney and political appointee.He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, son of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company executive Joseph L. Graham and Margaret Nowell Graham. He was the younger brother of Katherine G. Howard...
              
              , attorney, Assistant U.S. Secretary of Treasury, Commissioner of U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Commissioner of Internal Revenue
              Commissioner of Internal Revenue
              The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service , a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury.The office of Commissioner was created by Congress by the Revenue Act of 1862...
              
              , brother of Katherine G. Howard
              Katherine G. Howard
              Katherine Graham Howard was born in Guyton, Georgia and grew up there and in North Carolina. She was the daughter of Margaret Nowell Graham and Joseph L. Graham, who was Chairman of the Board of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the early 1900s...
              
              .
      • Rev. William Lewis Breckinridge, D. D. (1803–1876) Born at Cabell's Dale, Fayette County, Kentucky. Presbyterian minister for 45 years. Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Council. Son of John Breckinridge. Married Frances Prevost in 1823, Granddaughter of President Samuel Stanhope Smith of Princeton University.

• • • Francis Preston
      Francis Preston
      Francis Preston was an American lawyer and politician from Abingdon, Virginia. He served in both houses of the state legislature and represented Virginia in the U.S...
      
       (1765–1736), Virginia House Delegate 1788–1789 1812–1814, U.S. Representative from Virginia 1793–1797, Virginia State Senator 1816–1820. Cousin of John Brown, John Breckinridge, and James Breckinridge, Grandson of Robert Preston.
      • William Campbell Preston (1794–1860), South Carolina
        South Carolina
        South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
        
         State Representative 1828–1834, U.S. Senator from South Carolina 1833–1842. Son of Francis Preston.
      • William Ballard Preston
        William Ballard Preston
        William Ballard Preston was a United States political figure. He served as the U.S. Secretary of the Navy between 1849 and 1850...
        
         (1805–1862), Virginia House Delegate 1830–1832 1844–1845, Virginia State Senator 1840–1844, U.S. Representative from Virginia 1847–1849, U.S. Secretary of War 1849–1850, Delegate to the Confederate States Congress from Virginia 1861–1862, Confederate States Senator from Virginia 1862. Nephew of Francis Preston.
      • William Preston
        William Preston
        William Preston may refer to:*William Preston , Scottish author of Illustrations of Masonry*William Preston , Irish-born frontier Virginia leader, signer of the Fincastle Resolutions...
        
         (1816–1887), delegate to the Kentucky Constitutional Convention 1849, Kentucky State Representative 1850 1868–1869, Kentucky State Senator 1851–1853, U.S. Representative from Kentucky 1852–1855, delegate to the Democratic National Convention 1856, U.S. Minister to Spain 1859–1861. Nephew of Francis Preston.
    • John Brown
      John Brown (Kentucky)
      John Brown was an American lawyer and statesman heavily involved with creating the State of Kentucky.Brown represented Virginia in the Continental Congress and the U.S. Congress . While in Congress, he introduced the bill granting Statehood to Kentucky. Once that was accomplished, he was elected...
      
       (1757–1837), Virginia
      Virginia
      The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
      
       State Senator 1784–1788, Delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia 1787–1788, U.S. Representative from Virginia 1789–1792, U.S. Senator from Kentucky 1792–1805. Brother of James Brown, Cousin of John Breckinridge, James Breckinridge, and Francis Preston.
      • • B. Gratz Brown
          B. Gratz Brown
          Benjamin Gratz Brown was an American politician. He was a Senator, the 20th Governor of Missouri, and the Liberal Republican and Democratic Party Vice presidential candidate in the presidential election of 1872.-Early life:...
          
           (1826–1885), Missouri
          Missouri
          Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
          
           State Representative 1852–1858, delegate to the Republican National Convention 1860, U.S. Senator from Missouri 1863–1867, Governor of Missouri 1871–1873, candidate for Vice President of the United States 1872. Grandson of John Brown.
    • James Brown
      James Brown (Senator)
      James Brown was a lawyer, U.S. Senator from Louisiana and Minister to France. He was the brother of John Brown, the cousin of John Breckinridge, James Breckinridge and Francis Preston, the brother-in-law of Henry Clay, the uncle of James Brown Clay, Henry Clay, Jr., John Morrison Clay, the great...
      
       (1766–1835), U.S. District Attorney in Kentucky 1791, Kentucky Secretary of State 1792–1798, Secretary of the Territory of Orleans 1804, U.S. District Attorney in Louisiana
      Louisiana
      Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
      
       1805–1808, U.S. Senator from Louisiana 1813–1817 1819–1823, U.S. Minister to France 1823–1829. Brother of John Brown, Cousin of John Breckinridge, James Breckinridge, and Francis Preston.
      • Thomas H. Clay (1803–1871), U.S. Minister to Nicaragua
        Nicaragua
        Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
        
         1863, U.S. Minister to Honduras
        Honduras
        Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
        
         1863. Father-in-law of William Campbell Preston Breckinridge.
    • Henry Donnel Foster
      Henry Donnel Foster
      Henry Donnel Foster was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania....
      
       (1808–1880), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
      Pennsylvania
      The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
      
       1843–1847 1871–1873, Pennsylvania State Representative 1857, candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania 1860. Cousin of John C. Breckinridge.

NOTE: Peter B. Porter was also uncle of U.S. Senator Augustus S. Porter. Thomas H. Clay was also son of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Henry Clay

Henry Clay

Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...

, brother of U.S. Representative James Brown Clay

James Brown Clay

James Brown Clay was a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky....

, third cousin of U.S. diplomat Brutus Clay, fourth cousin of U.S. Senator Clement Claiborne Clay, Jr., first cousin twice removed of U.S. Representative Matthew Clay

Matthew Clay

Matthew Clay was a United States Representative from Virginia. Born in Halifax County , during the American Revolutionary War he entered the Ninth Virginia Regiment on October 1, 1776...

 and Kentucky State Senator Green Clay

Green Clay

Green Clay was a United States politician and a soldier in both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812....

, third cousin once removed of U.S. Senator Clement Comer Clay

Clement Comer Clay

Clement Comer Clay was the eighth Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1835 to 1837.Clay was born in Halifax County, Virginia. His father, William Clay, was an officer in the American Revolutionary War, who moved to Grainger County, Tennessee, after the war. Clay attended public schools and...

, and second cousin once removed of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 State Senator Matthew Clay, U.S. Representative Brutus J. Clay

Brutus J. Clay

Brutus Junius Clay was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky.Born in Richmond, Kentucky, Clay attended the common schools and graduated from Centre College, Danville, Kentucky. He engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising. He moved to Bourbon County in 1837 and continued former pursuits...

, and U.S. diplomat Cassius M. Clay.