Sidney Breese
| Sidney Breese | |
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United States Senator from Illinois |
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In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849 |
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| Preceded by | Richard M. Young |
| Succeeded by | James Shields |
| Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court | |
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In office 1867–1870 |
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| Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
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In office 1851–1851 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | July 15, 1800 Whitesboro, New York |
| Died | June 27, 1878 (aged 77) Pinckneyville, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Eliza Morrison |
| Alma mater |
Hamilton College Union College |
| Occupation | jurist |
Sidney Breese (July 15, 1800 – June 27, 1878) was a U.S. Senator from Illinois, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, a forefather of Illinois, and "father of the Illinois Central Railroad".
Breese was born in 1800 in Whitesboro, New York, the son of Arthur Breese and Catherine Livingston, daughter of Henry Beekman Livingston and a member of the Livingston family. His brother was Samuel Livingston Breese, and he was a cousin of Samuel Morse.
Breese's mother died in 1808, and he was mentored by Rev. Jesse Townsend. He became friends during this time with Elias Kent Kane, a distant cousin of his through the Schuyler family of New York. Townsend groomed the young Breese for college, where he entered Hamilton College at just 14 years old, then transferred to Union College in 1816. In 1818, he graduated third in his class of 64 and was a member of the New York Alpha of the Phi Beta Kappa.
Kane had moved to Illinois following his graduation from Yale College in 1814, and requested the assistance of Breese. Breese accepted, and would become a pioneer of Illinois.
Breese was appointed by Kane as the Assistant Secretary of State, whereas Kane had become Illinois Secretary of State. He continued studying law, eventually being admitted to the bar in 1820.
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