John C. Breckinridge

John C. Breckinridge
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 (1821-01-16)January 16, 1821 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	May 17, 1875(1875-05-17) (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	Cabell Breckinridge Mary Clay Smith
Relatives	Breckinridge family
Education	Centre College (BA) College of New Jersey Transylvania University
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States Confederate States
Branch/service	United States Volunteers Confederate States Army
Years of service	1847–1848 (U.S.) 1861–1865 (C.S.)
Rank	Major (U.S.) Major general (C.S.)
Battles/wars	Mexican–American War American Civil War Battle of Shiloh Battle of Baton Rouge Battle of Stones River Battle of Jackson Battle of Chickamauga Chattanooga Campaign Battle of New Market Battle of Cold Harbor Battle of Piedmont Battle of Lynchburg Battle of Monocacy Battle of Bull's Gap Battle of Marion Battle of Cool Spring

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.

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.