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John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving from 1857 to 1861, he took office at the age of 36.
May 17, 2024 · John C. Breckinridge (born January 21, 1821, near Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.—died May 17, 1875, Lexington) was the 14th vice president of the United States (1857–61), an unsuccessful presidential candidate of Southern Democrats (November 1860), and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War (1861–65). Buchanan, James; Breckinridge ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- John C. Breckinridge: Early Life
- John C. Breckinridge: Political Career
- John C. Breckinridge: Civil War
- John C. Breckinridge: Later Life
John Cabell Breckinridge was born in Lexington, Kentucky, on January 16, 1821. His grandfather had served in the U.S. Senate and as attorney general under President Thomas Jefferson, and his father was a prominent lawyer and state politician. Breckinridge attended Centre College in Kentucky before studying law at Princeton. He then returned to Kent...
Breckinridge began his political career in 1849, when he won a seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives. In 1851 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat and served until 1855. During this time Breckinridge established himself as a leading Southern politician, known for his eloquent speeches on the House floor. His met...
Viewed as a traitor in the North, Breckinridge travelled to Virginia and offered his services to the Confederacy. Commissioned a brigadier general in November 1861, he was placed in command of the so-called “Orphan Brigade,” a Kentucky unit whose troops felt abandoned by their home state. Breckinridge commanded the Reserve Corps at the Battle of Sh...
Fearing capture by the Union Army, Breckinridge fled to Cuba at the end of the Civil War and then proceeded to the United Kingdom and Canada. Reunited with his family in Toronto, he then embarked on an extended tour of Europe. Breckinridge would remain in exile until 1869, when a presidential pardon allowed him to safely return to the United States...
Mar 16, 2024 · Learn about the life and career of John C. Breckinridge, who served as U.S. Vice President, Confederate general, and Confederate Secretary of War. Find out how he fled the country after the Civil War and returned to Kentucky in 1869.
- Harry Searles
A member of the Breckinridge political family, John C. Breckinridge became the first Democrat to represent Fayette County in the Kentucky House of Representatives, and in 1851, he was the first Democrat to represent Kentucky's 8th congressional district in over 20 years.
Learn about the life and career of John C. Breckinridge, the youngest Vice President in U.S. history and a Confederate general during the Civil War. Find out his achievements, battles, and death in this comprehensive biography.
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Jul 12, 2016 · Learn about the life and career of John C. Breckinridge, the youngest vice president in U.S. history and a key figure in the Civil War. Find out how he rose from a Kentucky lawyer to a Democratic nominee and a Confederate general.
