John C. Breckinridge

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John Cabell Breckinridge
John C Breckinridge-04775-restored.jpg
14th Vice President of the United States
In office
March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861
PresidentJames Buchanan
Preceded byWilliam R. King
Succeeded byHannibal Hamlin
Personal details
Born(1821-01-16)January 16, 1821
Lexington, Kentucky
DiedMay 17, 1875(1875-05-17) (aged 54)
Lexington, Kentucky
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Mary Cyrene Burch Breckinridge

John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was a lawyer, U.S. representative, U.S. senator from Kentucky and the 14th vice president of the United States.[1] He was from Kentucky. He served in the House from 1851 to 1855. He served as Vice-President from 1857 to 1861, under President James Buchanan.[2] Breckinridge was the youngest vice president in U.S. history.[2]

Breckinridge was also a Southern Democratic candidate for President in 1860. In the election of 1860, the Democratic Party split, with Southerners voting for Breckinridge and Northerners voting for Stephen Douglas. He carried most of the Southern states, but lost to Abraham Lincoln.

When the South seceded, Breckinridge was briefly a U.S. Senator from Kentucky, but was kicked out of the Senate. After that, he became active in the Confederacy. During the American Civil War, he was a general in the Confederate States Army. He fought in Tennessee and the Shenandoah Valley. He was the Confederate commander at the Battle of New Market. Breckinridge was the last Confederate Secretary of War. After the war, Breckinridge left the country for four years. He returned to Kentucky in 1869 and died in 1875.

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Meredith Hindley, 'The Man Who Came in Second', Humanities, Vol. 31, No. 6 (November/December 2011), online
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "John C. Breckinridge". Civil War Trust. Retrieved 12 October 2016.




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