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James Wilkinson Breeks was born on 5 March 1830 at Warcop, near Brough in Westmorland, England. He entered the Madras civil service in 1849 and rose through various roles in the revenue and financial departments of British India. From 1861 to 1864 he served as private secretary to Sir William Denison, Governor of Madras, even accompanying him to Calcutta during Denison’s brief tenure as acting Governor-General. After a short period in London, Breeks returned to India in 1867 and was appointed the first Commissioner of the Nilgiris, the hill district that served as the principal sanatorium of southern India. In 1863 he married Susan Maria, daughter of Governor Denison; the couple had three sons and one daughter.
