The office of vice president has often been overshadowed by the presidency, yet throughout history, some vice presidents have left a profound mark on the nation—despite never reaching the highest office. This series explores the lives of these influential figures, uncovering their family roots, rise to power, and the lasting impact they made in their own right. Some faded into quiet political retirement, while others shaped history unexpectedly.
Few vice presidents had a more dramatic or controversial trajectory than John C. Breckinridge. Elected at 36, he remains the youngest vice president in American history. But rather than following a conventional political path, his life took unexpected turns—culminating in his role as a Confederate general and the final Confederate Secretary of War.
His story is one of ambition, conflict, and divided loyalties. He was a rising star in national politics, a key player in the fractured 1860 election, and a figure who ultimately found himself on the losing side of the Civil War. Once a U.S. senator, he was expelled from Congress, took up arms against the Union, and was forced into exile. Yet even in defeat, his influence endured.
Who was John C. Breckinridge before war and politics reshaped his life? What family ties and early influences set him on this course? And how did he go from vice president to a man branded a traitor? As we continue through this series, examining the vice presidents who never became president, we now turn to one of American history’s most complex and divisive figures.
Genealogy and Family Roots
John Cabell Breckinridge was born in Lexington, Kentucky, on January 16, 1821. His lineage is deeply rooted in American history, with ancestors who played influential roles in Virginia and Kentucky.
His grandfather, John Breckinridge (1760–1806), was a U.S. senator and Attorney General under President Thomas Jefferson. He was also instrumental in drafting the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, which argued against federal overreach. This deep commitment to states’ rights and Southern political interests would later shape John C. Breckinridge’s career.
Breckinridge’s father, Joseph Cabell Breckinridge (1788–1823), was a Kentucky state legislator but died when John was just two years old. His mother, Mary Clay Smith Breckinridge (1787–1864), raised him within the influential Clay family, which included Henry Clay, the legendary Kentucky senator and orator.
The Breckinridge name carried weight in Southern society. His family had a long history of producing statesmen, military leaders, and ministers, making his political rise seem almost inevitable.
Early Life and Education
Raised in Kentucky, Breckinridge attended Centre College in Danville and graduated in 1839. He then studied law at Princeton University before completing his training at Transylvania University in Lexington.
After being admitted to the bar in 1841, he established a law practice in Georgetown, Kentucky. His early career suggested a conventional path as a lawyer and politician, but the coming years would propel him into national prominence.
Political Rise: Congressman and Vice President
Breckinridge entered politics as a Democratic congressman from Kentucky, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1851 to 1855. He quickly gained a reputation as a skilled orator and a moderate voice on sectional issues. His ability to balance loyalty to the South while remaining within the Democratic Party’s mainstream made him an attractive vice-presidential candidate in the 1856 election.
At just 36 years old, he became the youngest vice president in U.S. history under President James Buchanan. However, his time in office coincided with the deepening crisis over slavery, and his party fractured along sectional lines.
The 1860 Presidential Election
By 1860, the Democratic Party split over the issue of slavery. Northern Democrats supported Stephen A. Douglas, while Southern Democrats, rejecting Douglas’s moderate stance, nominated Breckinridge as their candidate.
Breckinridge ran on a pro-slavery platform, advocating for the protection of slavery in all U.S. territories. His candidacy further divided the vote, helping ensure Abraham Lincoln’s victory. Interestingly, Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, was a distant cousin of Breckinridge, linking the two men through family ties.
Breckinridge finished second in the Electoral College with 72 votes, carrying most of the South but losing to Lincoln’s broader coalition.
Civil War and Expulsion from the Senate
As the Civil War loomed, Breckinridge initially opposed secession, believing in state sovereignty within the Union. However, once Kentucky declared neutrality, he chose to side with the Confederacy.
In 1861, while still a sitting U.S. senator, he openly supported the Southern cause, leading to his expulsion from the Senate for treason. He fled south and joined the Confederate Army.
Military Service in the Confederate Army
Breckinridge quickly rose through the ranks:
• Battle of Shiloh (1862) – Commanded troops but faced heavy losses.
• Battle of Stones River (1862–1863) – Again defeated but proved his leadership.
• Battle of New Market (1864) – Led a victory against Union forces using Virginia Military Institute cadets.
By 1865, he had been appointed the Confederate Secretary of War, becoming the last person to hold the position. He attempted to negotiate peace, but the war’s end forced him to flee.
Exile and Later Life
After the Confederacy’s collapse, Breckinridge escaped to Cuba before spending time in Europe and Canada, fearing execution for treason. 1868 President Andrew Johnson’s amnesty proclamation allowed him to return home.
Settling in Lexington, Kentucky, he lived a quiet life, avoiding politics and working as a lawyer and businessman until his death on May 17, 1875, at 54.
Legacy
John C. Breckinridge’s life is one of stark contrasts—a rising political star turned Confederate leader, a vice president turned exile, and a senator branded a traitor. His legacy remains deeply tied to the Civil War, representing the divisions that tore the nation apart.
Though he never became president, his influence on American history remains undeniable. From the fractured election of 1860 to his role in the Confederate military, Breckinridge’s life reminds him of the choices, conflicts, and consequences that defined his era.
