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  Breckinridge, John C.
CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationDemocratic  
 
NameJohn C. Breckinridge
Address
Lexington, Kentucky , United States
EmailNone
WebsiteNone
Born January 16, 1821
DiedMay 17, 1875 (54 years)
Contributor411 Name Removed
Last ModifedJuan Croniqueur
Nov 06, 2023 04:01pm
Tags Freemason -
InfoAn American lawyer and statesman, John C. Breckinride was born near Lexington, Kentucky on January 16, 1821. He was graduated from Centre College, studied law under Governer Owsley and at the Transylvania College, practiced law, and served as a major in the Mexican War.

In 1849, Breckinridge entered politics as a member of the Kentucky legislature and two years later was elected to the United States House of Representatives. A Democrat from a previously Whig district, he was catapulated into leadership of his party in Kentucky. Five years later he leaped into national prominence as James Buchanan's vice-presidential running mate. While still vice president, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1859, effective on his retirement.

Extremely cautious, Breckinridge avoided sectional controversy, but he held that slavery could not constitutionally be excluded from a territory. As a result, the Southern faction of the Democratic Party nominated him for president in 1860. He never advocated secession, but, of the four candidates, he best represented the views of the deep South. He received 854,248 popular votes, 18.2% of the total, and carried 11 states with 72 electoral votes.

Before the inauguration of the new Republican administration, Breckinridge sought constitutional guarantees for slavery in order to forestall secession. When compromise failed, he retined his seat in the Senate to oppose Lincoln�s war policy. When his efforts failed, he encouraged his own state to join the Confederacy, and when Kentucky instead ordered the removal of Confederate troops, he helped organize a rival government loyal to the Confederacy and accepted a Confederate commission as brigadier general. These actions resulted in his expulsion as a traitor from the U.S. Senate.

During the Civil War he rose to the rank of major general. At the Battle of Shiloh he commanded the reserve, fought at Murfreesboro and at Chickamauga at the spring of 1864 and defeated General Sigel in the Wilderness and was General Jubal Early�s second in command. In February 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis made him secretary of war in his cabinet. Breckinridge fled to Europe after the South surrendered, returning by permission of President Grant in 1869. Resuming his law practice, he engaged in railroad promotions. He died in Lexington on May 17, 1875.

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FAMILY
Wife Mary Cyrene Burch Breckinridge Dec 12, 1843-May 17, 1875
Son Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, II 1844-1906
Grandson John C. Breckinridge, Jr. 1870-1941
Son Clifton R. Breckinridge 1846-1932
Daughter Frances B. "Fannie" Breckinridge Steele 1848-1924
Son John Witherspoon Owen Breckinridge 1850-1892
Grandson John Cabell Breckinridge, Sr. 1879-1914
Daughter Mary Desha Breckinridge Maltby 1854-1928
Father John Cabell Breckinridge 1788-1823
Grandfather John Breckinridge 1760-1806
Great-Grandfather Robert Preston Breckinridge 1720-1772
Grand Uncle Alexander Breckinridge 1752-1801
1st Cousin Once Removed James D. Breckinridge 1781-1849
Grand Uncle James C. Breckinridge 1763-1833
Aunt Letitia Breckinridge Porter 1786-1831
1st Cousin Peter A. Porter 1827-1864
Uncle John Breckinridge 1797-1841
1st Cousin Mary Breckinridge Porter 1826-1854
1st Cousin Samuel M. Breckinridge 1828-1891
Uncle Robert Jefferson Breckinridge 1800-1871
1st Cousin Robert Jefferson Breckinridge, Jr. 1833-1915
1st Cousin Marie Breckinridge Handy 1836-1905
1st Cousin William C. P. Breckinridge 1837-1904
1st Cousin Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Sr. 1842-1920
Mother Mary Clay Smith Breckinridge 1787-1864
Grandfather Samuel Stanhope Smith 1751-1819

INFORMATION LINKS
RACES
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  11/06/1860 CA US President Lost 28.35% (-3.98%)
  11/06/1860 IN US President Lost 4.52% (-46.57%)
  11/06/1860 SC US President Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
  11/06/1860 AL US President Won 54.00% (+23.12%)
  11/06/1860 KY US President Lost 36.35% (-8.83%)
  11/06/1860 CT US President Lost 20.10% (-33.95%)
  11/06/1860 LA US President Won 44.90% (+4.90%)
  11/06/1860 DE US President Won 45.54% (+21.41%)
  11/06/1860 FL US President Won 62.23% (+26.13%)
  11/06/1860 GA US President Won 48.89% (+8.64%)
  11/06/1860 NC US President Won 50.51% (+3.84%)
  11/06/1860 IA US President Lost 0.82% (-54.08%)
  11/06/1860 AR US President Won 53.06% (+16.01%)
  11/06/1860 IL US President Lost 0.69% (-50.00%)
  11/06/1860 MS US President Won 59.02% (+22.79%)
  11/06/1860 VT US President Lost 0.49% (-75.24%)
  11/06/1860 NH US President Lost 3.22% (-53.67%)
  11/06/1860 WI US President Lost 0.58% (-56.00%)
  11/06/1860 OH US President Lost 2.58% (-49.74%)
  11/06/1860 MA US President Lost 3.60% (-59.19%)
  11/06/1860 OR US President Lost 34.37% (-1.83%)
  11/06/1860 MD US President Won 45.88% (+0.80%)
  11/06/1860 PA US President Lost 37.54% (-18.71%)
  11/06/1860 MN US President Lost 2.15% (-61.26%)
  11/06/1860 ME US President Lost 6.31% (-55.94%)
  11/06/1860 TN US President Lost 44.55% (-3.17%)
  11/06/1860 MI US President Lost 0.52% (-56.65%)
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  11/06/1860 MO US President Lost 18.94% (-16.57%)
  11/06/1860 VA US President Lost 44.54% (-0.09%)
  11/03/1860 KY US Senate Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
  06/23/1860 US President - D Convention Lost 3.17% (-46.97%)
  06/23/1860 US President - SD Convention Won 77.14% (+54.29%)
  11/04/1856 US Vice President Won 58.78% (+20.27%)
  06/06/1856 US Vice President - D Convention Won 55.12% (+44.13%)
  12/05/1853 US House Speaker Lost 0.46% (-65.44%)
  08/01/1853 KY District 8 Won 52.10% (+4.20%)
  08/04/1851 KY District 8 Won 52.45% (+4.90%)
ENDORSEMENTS