He was the son of Louise Ludlow (née Dudley) and Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Sr.[4] 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.

His paternal grandfather was Robert Jefferson Breckinridge, a Presbyterian minister, politician, public office holder and abolitionist.

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.

[7] Together, they were the parents of two sons and a daughter, including:[1] Breckinridge died at his home in Lexington, Kentucky on August 1, 1941.