Clifton R. Breckinridge

Clifton Rodes Breckinridge
Clifton Rodes Breckinridge
Born	Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age; Near Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	3 December 1932 (aged 86)
Occupation(s)	Politician, diplomat, businessman
Known for	U.S. Representative from Arkansas; United States Minister to Russia; member of Dawes Commission

Clifton Rodes Breckinridge (November 22, 1846 – December 3, 1932) was an American figure known for his roles in politics, diplomacy, and business. He held positions as a Democratic alderman, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and served as the United States Minister to Russia. Belonging to the distinguished Breckinridge family, he was the son of Vice President and Confederate general John C. Breckinridge and the great-grandson of U.S. Attorney General John Breckinridge.

Early life

Clifton was born near Lexington, Kentucky to John Cabell Breckinridge and Mary Cyrene Burch Breckinridge, inheriting a legacy rooted in political prominence. His grandfather held the office of attorney general under President Jefferson, while his father served in multiple significant government capacities, including vice president.

At age 15, he enlisted in the Confederate States Army alongside his father and subsequently served as a midshipman in the Confederate Navy during the Civil War.

Following the war, he studied at Washington College (currently Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia, where General Robert E. Lee encouraged him toward public service. Later, he joined his brother in managing a cotton plantation near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where they engaged in cotton cultivation and commission trade for thirteen years. In 1876, he married Katherine Carson from a well-known Mississippi family; together they had four children.

Politics

Breckinridge’s political journey began with his election as an alderman on the Pine Bluff City Council.

Congress

In 1882, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, assuming office in 1883. With backing from Speaker John G. Carlisle, he earned a seat on the powerful Committee on Ways and Means. He secured reelection in both 1884 and 1886.

Clayton Affair

His political standing was threatened following the 1888 election when allegations of voter fraud surfaced among Arkansas Democrats in Arkansas's 2nd congressional district. In Conway County, Arkansas, armed white men confiscated a ballot box favoring his Republican challenger, John M. Clayton, brother of former Governor and Senator Powell Clayton. Clayton contested the results and initiated an investigation in Plumerville, Arkansas but was assassinated in January 1889. A congressional investigation subsequently declared Clayton the winner and removed Breckinridge from office; however, due to Clayton's death, the seat was left vacant. Breckinridge was exonerated from any misconduct and reclaimed the seat by winning the special election held in 1890.

Work in Congress

He was reelected again in 1890 and 1892. During his tenure, he co-sponsored legislation that repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act and supported the Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act. After regaining credibility following the "Clayton Affair," he emerged as a respected leader in Congress, with Harper's Weekly describing him as "one of the very first men in the House." Amidst the Panic of 1893, he endorsed President Grover Cleveland's commitment to maintaining the gold standard despite opposition from Arkansas farmers who favored free silver. This position led to his defeat in the Democratic primary by John Sebastian Little, who then won the general election.

Minister to Russia

In 1894, Breckinridge left his congressional seat after being appointed by President Cleveland as the United States Minister to Russia, a post he held until 1897. During his tenure, he supplied critical insights regarding Russian territorial ambitions in China and alerted Washington about the worsening relations between Russia and China; nonetheless, the prevailing American isolationist stance curtailed any significant intervention. His responsibilities predominantly involved addressing matters related to commerce and immigration. Breckinridge found the extravagant social obligations of diplomatic life in the aristocratic circles of Saint Petersburg challenging, particularly during the 1896 coronation of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. At this event, he donned ceremonial knee breeches with some hesitation, mindful that such formalwear might be misunderstood by his Arkansas supporters.

Dawes Commission

Following William McKinley’s assumption of the presidency in 1897, Breckinridge was succeeded by Republican Ethan Allen Hitchcock, leading to his return to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. In 1900, McKinley appointed him to serve on the Dawes Commission, which was responsible for overseeing the division of tribal lands among the Five Civilized Tribes within Indian Territory. Charged with allocating individual parcels to the Cherokee Nation, Breckinridge and his fellow commissioners faced allegations of land fraud in 1903. However, a Department of Justice inquiry exonerated him, and he departed from the commission in 1905.

Later life and death

After completing his service on the Dawes Commission, Breckinridge established and led the Arkansas Valley Trust Company in Fort Smith until 1914. He was also a delegate at the Arkansas Constitutional Convention of 1917–1918, where he successfully promoted a unicameral legislative system provision that was later revoked. Widowed in 1921, he moved in 1925 to Hyden, Kentucky, to reside with his daughter Mary Breckinridge, founder of the Frontier Nursing Service. Initially living at the original Midwife Clinic location, he contributed by tending to the nurses’ horses while a larger facility was constructed in Wendover.

Breckinridge passed away at Wendover on December 3, 1932, at age eighty-six. He was buried at Lexington Cemetery alongside other family members. His former home in Fort Smith, known as the C.R. Breckinridge House, is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bibliography

Barnes, Kenneth C. "Who Killed John M. Clayton? Political Violence in Conway County, Arkansas, in the 1880s." Arkansas Historical Quarterly 52 (Winter 1993): 371–404.
Bolin, James Duane. "Clifton Rodes Breckinridge: The Little Arkansas Giant." Arkansas Historical Quarterly 53 (Winter 1994): 407–427.
Breckinridge, Clifton Rodes. "Improvement of the Mississippi River." Washington: Government Printing Office, 1884.
Breckinridge, Clifton Rodes. "Speech of Hon. Clifton R. Breckinridge, of Arkansas, in the House of Representatives, March 22, 1884." Washington: Government Printing Office, 1884.
Ledbetter, Calvin R. "The Constitutional Convention of 1917–1918." Arkansas Historical Quarterly 34 (Spring 1975): 3–40.
Willis, James F. "An Arkansan in St. Petersburg: Clifton Rodes Breckinridge, Minister to Russia, 1894–1897." Arkansas Historical Quarterly 38 (Spring 1979): 3–31.

References

Accessed on 2008-02-13

Entry on Clifton R. Breckinridge at the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture

External links

Clifton R. Breckinridge featured in the Chronicles of Oklahoma