James Breckinridge | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's5th district | |
| In office March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1817 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Wilson |
| Succeeded by | John Floyd |
| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates fromBotetourt County | |
| In office 1823 Alongside Allen Taylor | |
| In office 1819–1820 Alongside Jesse Rowland, Thomas Burwell | |
| In office 1806–1807 Alongside Charles Beale, Andrew Lewis | |
| In office 1796–1801 AlongsideThomas Madison, John Miller, William McClanahan | |
| In office 1789–1790 Alongside Robert Harvey, Martin McFerran | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 7, 1763 (1763-03-07) |
| Died | May 13, 1833 (1833-05-14) (aged 70) |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Alma mater | College of William and Mary Washington College |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Brigadier-general |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War War of 1812 |
James Breckinridge (March 7, 1763 – May 13, 1833) was aVirginia lawyer andpolitician and a member of theBreckinridge family. He served in theVirginia House of Delegates, as well as theU.S. House of Representatives. He also fought in theAmerican Revolutionary War and served as abrigadier-general during theWar of 1812.[1]
Breckinridge was born nearFincastle inBotetourt County in theColony of Virginia. He was the son of Robert Breckinridge whose father had immigrated from Ireland. His mother was the former Leticia Preston.[2] His brother wasJohn Breckinridge and he was the great-great-great-uncle ofJohn Bayne Breckinridge. He married Ann Cary Selden (daughter of Wilson Cary Selden & Elizabeth Jennings) born 1770 died 1843.
He studied under private tutors and during the Revolutionary War, he served in Colonel Preston's rifle regiment under GeneralNathanael Greene. He attended Washington College (nowWashington and Lee University) and graduated from theCollege of William and Mary in 1785. He studied law and was admitted to the bar and practiced in Fincastle in 1787.
He builtBreckinridge Mill in 1822, to replace an earlier mill he built in 1804.[3] It was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1980, with a boundary increase in 2002.[4]
Breckinridge served as a delegate to the Virginia House of Delegates intermittently between 1789 and 1824. He took a special interest in the construction of theChesapeake and Ohio Canal. He was then elected as aFederalist to the Eleventh Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1817). He was an associate ofThomas Jefferson in the establishment of theUniversity of Virginia and served as brigadier general in the War of 1812.
Breckinridge died at his country home, "Grove Hill," Botetourt County, Virginia, May 13, 1833, and was buried in the family burial plot on his estate near Fincastle.
Since his death, Breckenridge Elementary School in Fincastle[6] and James Breckenridge Middle School[7] in nearbyRoanoke have both been named in his honor.
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 5th congressional district 1809–1817 | Succeeded by |
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