Edward T. Breathitt

Edward Thompson Ned Breathitt, Jr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. A member of one of the states 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. 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. He continued to hold appointive offices throughout Combs tenure, and in 1962, Combs endorsed Breathitt to succeed him as governor.

Ned Breathitt was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on November 26, 1924. He was the only child of Edward Thompson and Mary Breathitt. Breathitts family had a considerable tradition in politics. A distant relative, John Breathitt had been governor of Kentucky in 1832. James Breathitt, Sr., Ned Breathitts grandfather, had served as state attorney general from 1907 to 1911, and his uncle, James Breathitt, Jr., was lieutenant governor from 1927 to 1932.

Source: Wikipedia