Early Life
Ned Breathitt was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on November 26, 1924. He was the only child of Edward Thompson and Mary (Wallace) Breathitt. Breathitt's family had a considerable tradition in politics. A distant relative, John Breathitt had been governor of Kentucky in 1832. James Breathitt, Sr., Ned Breathitt's grandfather, had served as state attorney general from 1907 to 1911, and his uncle, James Breathitt, Jr., was lieutenant governor from 1927 to 1932.
Breathitt obtained his early education in the public schools of Hopkinsville and graduated from Hopkinsville High School in 1942. Later that year, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force for service in World War II, serving until 1945. After the war, he matriculated to the University of Kentucky. While there, he served as president of the Omicron Delta Kappa honor society and the Lamp and Cross society; he was also a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon social fraternity. Seeing Breathitt's interest in politics, professors Jack Reeves and Thomas D. Clark asked him to chair the campus campaign supporting a new state constitution. Breathitt accepted, and although the proposed constitution failed, he remained committed to seeing the document updated.
In 1948, Breathitt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration. On December 20, 1948, he married Frances Holleman of Mayfield, Kentucky. The couple had four children: Mary, Fran, Linda, and Edward III. In 1950, Breathitt earned a Bachelor of Laws degree and returned to Hopkinsville where he joined the law firm of Trimble, Soyars, and Breathitt.
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