John Witherspoon Breckinridge

John Witherspoon "Owen" Breckinridge (December 22, 1850 – May 9, 1892) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the California State Assembly. Early life Breckinridge was born on December 22, 1850, in Lexington, Kentucky, in the prominent Breckinridge family. He was the fourth child of John Cabell Breckinridge (1821–1875), who served as Vice-President of the United States under James Buchanan, and Mary Cyrene (née Burch) Breckinridge (1826–1907). Among his siblings were Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Clifton Rodes Breckinridge, Frances Viley (née Breckenridge) Steele, and Mary Desha (née Breckinridge) Maltby. He was named after his great-great-grandfather, John Witherspoon, who signed the Declaration of Independence. Known as "Owen" in appreciation of the heavy vote his father received in Owen County, he attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Career Around 1877, Breckinridge moved to California eventually settling in Merced in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley. Breckinridge was a member of California State Assembly from 1884 to 1885. He also served as District Attorney of Merced County, California, until his death in 1892. In his obituary, it was said: