Beckham obtained his early education at Roseland Academy in Bardstown . In 1881 he served as a page in the Kentucky House of Representatives at the age of 12 . Later , he enrolled at Central University ( now Eastern Kentucky University ) in Richmond , Kentucky but was forced to quit school at the age of 17 to support his widowed mother . Two years later , he became principal of Bardstown public schools , serving from 1888 to 1893 . Concurrently , he studied law at the University of Kentucky , where he earned his law degree in 1889 . He was admitted to the bar , and commenced practice in Bardstown in 1893 . He also served as president of the Young Democrats ' Club of Nelson County .