Early Life
John Breathitt was born near New London, Henry County, Virginia on September 9, 1786. He was the eldest of five sons and four daughters born to William and Elizabeth (Whitsett) Breathitt. William Breathitt immigrated to Maryland from Scotland, then settled in Virginia. 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. His family moved to Logan County, Kentucky in 1800, and he continued his education there. 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. 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.
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