John Bayne Breckinridge

Democrat Representative of Kentucky's 6th district

  • Representative

    Kentucky, district 6

    January 4, 1977 - January 3, 1979

3

Congresses Served

3

House Terms

January 1, 1913 (66 years old)

Birthday

January 1, 1979

Death

  • Served as Attorney General of Kentucky twice
  • Served as a member of the United States House of Representatives
  • Born in the District of Columbia
  • Father was an Olympian fencer and a gynecologist
  • Belonged to the prominent Breckinridge family with historical political ties
  • Received bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Kentucky
  • Admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1940 and practiced law in Lexington
  • Worked in the Anti-Trust Division of the United States Department of Justice
  • Served in the United States Army during World War II, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel
  • Elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives, serving from 1956 to 1960
  • Served first term as Attorney General of Kentucky from 1960 to 1964
  • Ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky but returned to law practice
  • Elected to a second term as Attorney General of Kentucky from 1968 to 1972
  • Elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1973 to 1979
  • Described as an independent moderate
  • Married to Helen Congleton with two children
  • Died in Lexington, Kentucky, and interred at Lexington Cemetery