Scott Breckinridge Explained

Scott Breckinridge
Fullname:Scott Dudley Breckinridge
Birth Date:23 May 1882
Birth Place:San Francisco, California, U.S.
Death Place:Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Country:United States
Sport:Fencing
Collegeteam:United States Military Academy
Olympics:1912 Summer Olympics
Show-Medals:yes

Scott Dudley Breckinridge (May 23, 1882 – August 1, 1941) was an American fencer and gynecologist. He competed in the individual foil and team épée events at the 1912 Summer Olympics.[1] [2]

Early life

Breckinridge was born in San Francisco, California on May 23, 1882. He was the son of Louise Ludlow (née Dudley) and Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Sr.[3] Among his many siblings was older brother was Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Jr., an officer in the United States Navy in the Spanish–American War who died while serving on the torpedo boat USS Cushing. His younger brother, Henry Skillman Breckinridge, served as the United States Assistant Secretary of War under President Woodrow Wilson.

Unlike his father's cousin, John Cabell Breckinridge, a Confederate major general and former Vice President of the United States, his father Joseph was a Union Army officer from Kentucky during the American Civil War who served as Inspector General of the Army and was a major general of volunteers in the Spanish–American War.

His paternal grandfather was Robert Jefferson Breckinridge, a Presbyterian minister, politician, public office holder and abolitionist. His maternal grandfather was Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley, a prominent physician in Lexington, Kentucky.[4]

Career

Breckinridge attended the United States Military Academy at West Point where he excelled at fencing. He became a member of the United States fencing team at the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden, competing in the épée and foil. He later coached the fencing team at the University of Kentucky.

Breckinridge left West Point without graduating in 1904 to attend the Georgetown University School of Medicine where he graduated with a degree in medicine in 1907 and then interned at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., and Columbia University Hospital in New York City. During World War I, he served in the Army Medical Corps and was promoted to Colonel.[5]

Personal life

In 1911, Breckinridge was married to Gertrude Ashby Bayne (1883–1981).[6] Together, they were the parents of two sons and a daughter, including:

Breckinridge died at his home in Lexington, Kentucky on August 1, 1941.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Scott Breckinridge Olympic Results . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418070154/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/br/scott-breckinridge-1.html . dead . April 18, 2020 . April 17, 2010 . sports-reference.com.
  2. Web site: Scott Breckinridge . Olympedia . 13 May 2021.
  3. Brown, Alexander The Cabells and Their Kin: A Memorial Volume of History, Biography, and Genealogy (1895).
  4. Book: Dorman . John Frederick . The Prestons of Smithfield and Greenfield in Virginia: descendants of John and Elizabeth (Patton) Preston through five generations . 1982 . Filson Club . 113 . 9780960107216 . registration . June 18, 2019.
  5. Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=cNeqibq2y1EC&pg=PA314 . Official Register of the Officers and Cadets . Class of 1904—Register of Graduates . 1971 . 314 . United States Military Academy . October 15, 2022.
  6. Book: Kleber . John E. . The Kentucky Encyclopedia . 2015 . . 9780813159010 . 117 . June 18, 2019.
  7. News: John Bayne Breckinridge . June 18, 2019 . . July 31, 1979.
  8. Web site: Scott D. Breckinridge, Jr. Collection, 1801-2000, 1980-2000 . exploreuk.uky.edu . University of Kentucky Libraries . June 18, 2019.
  9. Web site: Obituary for Gertrude Breckinridge Peyton at Hill and Wood . www.hillandwood.com . June 18, 2019 . en.
  10. News: MISS BRECKINRIDGE WED IN WASHINGTON; Wears Heavy Ivory Satin at Marriage to Lieut. Compton Sargent, Army Engineers . June 18, 2019 . . June 25, 1944.
  11. News: DR. S. D. BRECKINRIDGE, GYNECOLOGIST, WAS 59; Kentucky Practitioner, Former National Fencing Champion . June 18, 2019 . . August 2, 1941.