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John Breathitt (September 9, 1786 – February 21, 1834) was the 11th Governor of Kentucky. He was the first Democrat to hold this office and was the second Kentucky governor to die in office. Shortly after his death, Breathitt County, Kentucky was created and named in his honor. Early in life, Breathitt was appointed a deputy surveyor in Illinois Territory. On his return to Kentucky, he taught at a country school, and through wise investments, amassed enough wealth to sustain him while he studied law with Judge Caleb Wallace. In 1811, he was elected to the first of several terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives. He was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 1828. Although his running mate William T. Barry 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, but the General Assembly deadlocked over the appointment and the seat went unfilled until the Assembly's next term. In the next gubernatorial election in 1832, Breathitt was the Democratic nominee for governor. Again, 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, but he did not fare well in state politics because the Whigs controlled the legislature. He died in office of tuberculosis on February 21, 1834. ==Early life== John Breathitt was born near New London, Henry County, Virginia 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 immigrated to Maryland from Scotland, then settled in Virginia.〔Powell, p. 32〕 John Breathitt's brother, George, became a private secretary to President Andrew Jackson.〔 Another brother, James, became Commonwealth's Attorney for the state of Kentucky.〔 Breathitt was educated at home and in the public schools of his native state.〔NGA Bio〕 His family moved to Logan County, Kentucky in 1800, and he continued his education there.〔Levin, p. 482〕 In early adulthood, he was appointed as a deputy surveyor in Illinois Territory.〔 He then returned to Kentucky to teach in a country school.〔 He invested his income in land purchases, and shortly amassed enough wealth to sustain him for a few years.〔 Financially stable, he resolved to read law under Judge Caleb Wallace.〔 He was admitted to the bar of Russellville, Kentucky 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.〔 When his first wife died, he married Susan M. Harris of Chesterfield County, Virginia.〔 Breathitt had another daughter by his second wife.〔 Though Breathitt himself died at age 47, he survived both of his wives.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「John Breathitt」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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