Political Career
In 1951, Breathitt was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives, representing the Ninth District. As a legislator, he was the acknowledged leader of a faction that opposed the programs of Governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler. He supported the state's first legislation regulating strip mining, improved registration and election laws, and campaigned for revision of the state constitution. He also co-sponsored the Minimum Foundation Program for Education. From 1952 to 1954, Breathitt served as president of the Young Democrats Clubs of Kentucky and as a member of the national committee for the Young Democrats of America. He was chair of the state speaker's bureau for Adlai Stevenson's presidential campaign in 1952, and two years later, he worked on the staff of Senator Alben Barkley's re-election campaign.
Bert T. Combs put Breathitt in charge of his campaign against Wilson Wyatt in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1958. When Combs was elected governor in 1959, he appointed Breathitt as State Personnel Commissioner, charging him with writing legislation to create a merit system for state employees. After successfully guiding the legislation through the General Assembly, Breathitt resigned as personnel commissioner to accept an appointment to the Kentucky Public Service Commission. He was also served as chair of a failed state constitutional convention in 1960 and was a member of the Governor's Commission on Mental Health.
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