John Breckenridge | Biography

John Breckenridge served as U.S. attorney general from 1805 to 1806 under President Thomas Jefferson. A fervent supporter of Jefferson while serving in the U.S. Senate, Breckenridge led the fight to impeach two Federalist judges because of their opposition to Jefferson and the Republican Party. Breckenridge was born on December 2, 1760, near Staunton, Virginia. He studied at Augusta Academy, near Staunton, which is now Washington and Lee University. Breckenridge later transferred to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He was elected a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1780, but because he was nineteen years old, he was not allowed to take his seat. During the Revolutionary War, Breckenridge served in the Virginia Militia. Following the war he studied law with a Virginia attorney and was admitted to the state bar in 1785.

After establishing a law practice in Charlottesville, Virginia, Breckenridge became involved in politics. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1792 but resigned before taking his seat to move to Kentucky. He established a law practice in 1793 in Lexington but immediately resumed his political career. In 1794 Breckenridge was defeated in his quest for a U.S. Senate seat, but the following year he was appointed Kentucky attorney general. He served until 1797, when he resigned to run for the state house of representatives. Elected to the house in 1798, he became speaker of the house the following year. Breckenridge used his leadership position as a stepping-stone to his real goal, the U.S. Senate. He was elected to the Senate in 1800 and took office in 1801.

As a Republican senator, Breckenridge was a staunch supporter and friend of President Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, who liked to work behind the scenes, drafted bills that Breckenridge introduced as his own. For example, Breckenridge sponsored a bill for the newly purchased Louisiana Territory that gave Jefferson and the territorial governor the power to rule by executive order. This undemocratic plan met stiff resistance and was rejected.

While in the Senate, Breckenridge supported the impeachment of John Pickering and Samuel Chase, two federal judges who had allegiances to the Federalist Party. At the Senate trial of Pickering, Breckenridge acted to remove the judge from the bench though it was clear the judge had not committed any "high crimes and misdemeanors" as stated in the Constitution. Pickering, alcoholic and mentally ill, was removed. The impeachment of Justice Chase of the Supreme Court was clearly a political act. Chase had made anti-Republican statements from the bench, and that was enough for Breckenridge and Jefferson to justify removal. However, the Senate acquitted Chase by a narrow margin.

Breckenridge's partisan stance in the Senate paid political dividends. In 1804 the Republican Party rejected Vice President Aaron Burr's bid for a second term and considered Breckenridge as a successor. However, he lost his bid to George Clinton of New York by a wide margin. After Jefferson was reelected, he offered Breckenridge the office of attorney general. He took office in 1805 and spent much of his time in Lexington, as the office was a part-time position during this period. He died in Lexington on December 14, 1806.