Ned Breathitt

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.

Edward Thompson Breathitt Jr. (November 26, 1924 – October 14, 2003) was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Ned Breathitt was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on November 26, 1924.

He was the only child of Edward Thompson Breathitt and Mary (Wallace) Breathitt.

Breathitt's family had a considerable tradition in politics.

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 during 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, Susan, 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.

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 won the governorship in 1959, he appointed Breathitt as personnel commissioner, where he wrote legislation establishing the first merit system for state employees.

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.

He continued to hold appointive offices throughout Combs' tenure, and in 1962, Combs endorsed Breathitt to succeed him as governor.

Breathitt defeated two-time former governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler in the Democratic primary, ending Chandler's political career.

He went on to win the general election over Republican Louie B. Nunn.

Breathitt continued Combs' work of improving state highways and parks, improving education funding, and strengthening regulations on strip mining.

His major accomplishment as governor was the passage of the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, the first desegregation law passed by a southern state.

His biggest disappointment was his inability to win approval of a new state constitution.

Following his term as governor, Breathitt worked as legal counsel for Southern Railway, and later became vice-president of public affairs for Norfolk Southern Corporation.

He engaged in numerous community service activities and served on political commissions aimed at eliminating poverty.

A member of one of the state's political families, he was the 51st Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1963 to 1967.

After serving in World War II and graduating from the University of Kentucky, Breathitt worked on the presidential campaign of Adlai Stevenson, the senatorial campaign of Alben Barkley, and the gubernatorial campaign of Bert T. Combs.

Breathitt collapsed while making a speech at Lexington Community College on October 10, 2003.

He was admitted to the University of Kentucky Hospital, but remained comatose after the collapse and died four days later.

Breathitt's oral history project is housed at the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky Libraries and is also available