John C. Breckinridge

John C. Breckinridge was a Kentucky politician who served as U.S. vice president, Confederate general, and Confederate secretary of war.

James Buchanan: The 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. Buchanan and Breckinridge served together as president and vice president.
Kentucky in the American Civil War: The contested wartime history of a border state that remained in the Union while many residents supported the Confederacy. Breckinridge’s political base and military choices arose from Kentucky’s divided allegiance.
United States vice president: The second-highest executive office in the United States, whose holder presides over the Senate and succeeds the president. Breckinridge held this constitutional office from 1857 to 1861.
Confederate surrender: The capitulation of Confederate forces in 1865 that ended organized resistance in the American Civil War. The Confederacy’s collapse ended Breckinridge’s wartime government service.
Abraham Lincoln: The 16th president of the United States, who led the Union during the Civil War. Breckinridge lost the 1860 presidential election to Lincoln and later fought against his government.
Whig Party: A major American political party active from the 1830s until the 1850s. Breckinridge began his political career in the Kentucky Whig tradition.
1860 United States presidential election: The presidential election won by Abraham Lincoln amid a split among Northern, Southern, and Constitutional Union candidates. Breckinridge’s presidential campaign exposed the Democratic Party’s sectional split.
Reconstruction: The post–Civil War period of restoring the Union and defining the rights and status of formerly enslaved people. Breckinridge lived in exile during early Reconstruction and returned after political conditions changed.
Stephen A. Douglas: An Illinois senator and the Democratic presidential nominee in 1860. Douglas contested the 1860 election as the Northern Democratic nominee, while Breckinridge led Southern Democrats.
Democratic Party: A major United States political party founded in the 1820s. He rose nationally as a Democrat and became the party’s Southern presidential nominee in 1860.

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