John C. Breckinridge
John C. Breckinridge | |
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1860 portrait | |
| 14th Vice President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861 | |
| President | James Buchanan |
| Preceded by | William R. King |
| Succeeded by | Hannibal Hamlin |
| 5th Confederate States Secretary of War | |
| In office February 6, 1865 – May 10, 1865 | |
| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | James Seddon |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| United States Senator from Kentucky | |
| In office March 4, 1861 – December 4, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | John J. Crittenden |
| Succeeded by | Garrett Davis |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 8th district | |
| In office March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1855 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Morehead |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Marshall |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from Fayette County | |
| In office 1849–1850 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Cabell Breckinridge January 16, 1821 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | May 17, 1875 (aged 54) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Resting place | Lexington Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Southern Democratic (1860) |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Burch (m. 1843) |
| Children | 6, including Clifton and John |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Breckinridge family |
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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 a member from Kentucky in the House of Representatives 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 the 1860 election. The Democratic Party was then split, with the South voting for Breckinridge and the North voting for Stephen Douglas. Breckinridge carried most of the South but lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln.
When the South seceded, Breckinridge was briefly a senator from Kentucky, but he was kicked out of the Senate. He theeeeen 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. He 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
- ↑ Meredith Hindley, 'The Man Who Came in Second', Humanities, Vol. 31, No. 6 (November/December 2011), online
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "John C. Breckinridge". Civil War Trust. Retrieved 12 October 2016.