Bragg would later blame Breckinridge for the loss at Chattanooga and even accused him of being drunk during the battle. In 1860 Breckinridge ran for president as part of the Southern faction of the Democratic Party. The most dramatic moment of the session occurred on August 1, when Senator Breckinridge took the floor to oppose the Lincoln administration's expansion of martial law. He recalled the legislative labors of Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun, whose performance in that chamber challenged their successors "to give the Union a destiny not unworthy of the past." On several occasions, however, he visited his cousin Mary Todd Lincoln at the White House. Breckinridge responded by recalling a trip he had made through South Carolina, where he met a militia officer in full military regalia. He then ran as the Southern Democratic candidate in the 1860 election and after losing to Abraham Lincoln was elected to the United States Senate from Kentucky.. After the Civil War began, Breckinridge was an outspoken advocate of the Confederacy.After being expelled from the Senate for his views in … Taking this as a rebuff, the proud Kentuckian left town without calling on either Miss Lane or the president. Many in Washington doubted that he planned to offer much support to the Union or the war effort. He arrived in Congress shortly after the passage of Clay's Compromise of 1850, which had sought to settle the issue of slavery in the territories. Title For President, John C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky. When Gordon urged him to be careful, Breckinridge replied, "Well, general, there is little left for me if our cause is to fail." Those who observed the exchange compared it to the American Indians' practice of smoking a peace pipe. He then returned to Kentucky and studied at Transylvania University, graduating in 1841. Breckinridge became a spokesman for the proslavery Democrats, arguing that the federal government had no right to interfere with slavery anywhere, either in the District of Columbia or in any of the territories. John C. Breckinridge and a Party Divided. 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. When Douglas introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which repealed the Missouri Compromise and left the issue of slavery in the territories to the settlers themselves—a policy known as "popular sovereignty"—Breckinridge worked hard to enact the legislation. As the Democratic convention approached in 1856, the three leading contenders—President Pierce, Senator Douglas, and former Minister to Great Britain James Buchanan—all courted Breckinridge. Cutting accused Breckinridge of ingratitude toward the North, where he had raised campaign funds for his tough reelection campaign in 1853. The Democratic Party split in two. When the Democratic party nominated James Buchanan of Pennsylvania for United States president in 1856, John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky was a natural choice for vice-president in order to balance the ticket between North and South. John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. An imposing and tactful man, he was exceptional for evoking both loyal devotion from his followers and generous respect from his opponents during a strife-torn era. He then attended Princeton before returning to Lexington to study law at Transylvania University. He performed well in this final government position, firing the Confederacy's bumbling commissary general and trying to bring order out of the chaos, but these efforts came too late. Despite these endorsements and the financial levies that the Buchanan administration made on all Democratic officeholders for him, Breckinridge failed to carry any northern states. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States (1857–1861), to date the youngest vice president in U.S. history, elected at age 35 and inaugurated at age 36.. During this time Breckinridge argued for an organized end to the hostilities and counseled Confederate President Jefferson Davis against extending the war through guerilla actions. In that election, as in all his campaigns, he demonstrated both an exceptional ability as a stump speaker and a politician's memory for names and faces. When these discussions fell through, Breckinridge helped Jefferson Davismake his way through the Deep South to avoid capture. While he campaigned on a pro-slavery platform—in particular, he demanded federal intervention to protect slaveholders in the territories—he was also vocal in his support of maintaining the Union amid rumblings of Southern secession. In 1860, the Democratic convention met in Charleston, South Carolina. John C. Breckinridge and a Party Divided. He served as Vice-President from 1857 to 1861, under President James Buchanan. As James Buchanan’s vice president, John C. Breckinridge had a front row seat to witness the nation’s growing political division over the expansion of slavery. But Douglas objected that the Lecompton Constitution made a mockery out of popular sovereignty and warned that he would fight it as a fraud. He is paired with Democratic incumbent and ally James Buchanan, depicted as a goat or (as he was nicknamed) "Buck." "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Although he remained silent about the upcoming presidential campaign, many Democrats considered him a strong contender. John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer and politician. Printable Version. In November 1864 he undertook an expedition into Tennessee and won a victory at the Battle of Bull’s Gap. When the spread of Know-Nothing lodges in his district jeopardized his chances of reelection in 1855, Breckinridge declined to run for a third term. As James Buchanan’s vice president, John C. Breckinridge had a front row seat to witness the nation’s growing political division over the expansion of slavery. He joined the Confederacy at the start of the Civil War and served as a brigade commander at the Battle of Shiloh. Although his supporters promoted him as "the man for the crisis," Buchanan was in fact the worst man for the crisis. The boy attended the Presbyterian Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, where he received his bachelor's degree at seventeen. Despite this loss, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate by the Kentucky legislature in March 1861. Although he wanted the Union restored, he preferred a peaceful separation rather than "endless, aimless, devastating war, at the end of which I see the grave of public liberty and of personal freedom." He was from Kentucky.He served in the House from 1851 to 1855. In Congress, Breckinridge became an ally of Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas. The grandfather might well have become president one day but, like his son, he died prematurely. Promoted to major general in 1862, Breckinridge fought at the Battles of Stones River and Chickamauga before taking command of Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864. After serving in the Massachusetts State Senate and the U.S. ...read more, John Brown was a leading figure in the abolitionist movement in the pre-Civil War United States. "This has been a magnificent epic," he said; "in God's name let it not terminate in farce." John C. Breckinridge: Political Career . Breckinridge began his political career in 1849, when he won a seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Reunited with his family in Toronto, he then embarked on an extended tour of Europe. Breckinridge strong stance and pro-slavery ideology won him the first term at the Kentucky House of Representatives. During the closing months of the war in 1865, Jefferson Davis made Breckinridge his secretary of war. Indicted by the Federal government for high treason, Breckinridge led a small party of Confederates int… When these discussions fell through, Breckinridge helped Jefferson Davis make his way through the Deep South to avoid capture. https://www.history.com/topics/us-politics/john-c-breckinridge. They saw in his winning manners, attractive appearance, and rare talent for public affairs, exactly the elements they needed in their concealed designs against the country." 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. He attended the convention as a delegate, voting first for Pierce and then switching to Douglas. Once, Breckinridge and Davis rode to Niagara. He decided against running for county clerk of Scott County after his law partner complained that he spent too much time in politics. A proslavery minority there had sent to Washington a new territorial constitution—known as the Lecompton Constitution. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (1821–75). He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. In the upper left is Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge. In 1860 the Democratic Party split when supporters of Stephen Douglas, the leading contender for the presidential nomination, refused to make support of slavery anywhere in the territories part of the party’s platform. Breckinridge commanded the Reserve Corps at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, and his unit incurred nearly 50 percent casualties during heavy fighting at an area known as the “Hornet’s Nest.” He earned a promotion to major general shortly thereafter. After the special session, Breckinridge returned to Kentucky to try to keep his state neutral. He was born into one of America’s wealthiest families and parlayed an elite education and a reputation as a ...read more, John Jay was an American statesman and Founding Father who served the United States in numerous government offices. When Douglas withdrew as a gesture toward party unity, the nomination went to Buchanan. But Forney thought that Breckinridge "was too interesting a character to be neglected by the able ultras of the South. "Sir, are they not words of brilliant, polished treason, even in the very Capitol?" Given the circumstances, a slightly different electoral slate might have engineered his defeat. Breckinridge was proud that Kentucky voted for a Democratic presidential ticket for the first time since 1828. Breckinridge, "his eyes flashing fire," interrupted Cutting's speech, denied his charges, denounced his language, and demanded an apology. Named chief of staff when World ...read more, John Tyler (1790-1862) served as America’s 10th president from 1841 to 1845. “The Political Quadrille, Music by Dred Scott” satirized the four candidates for president in 1860, along with their supporters. President James K. Polk had appointed him territorial governor of Oregon, an office he held from 1849 to 1850 before becoming Oregon's territorial delegate to Congress in 1851. Most of the Breckinridge’s adhered to the new party, but at about this time young John C. Breckinridge began to find Democratic ideas more persuasive. As they rode from their defeat on the battlefield, Jubal T. Early turned to ask, "General Breckinridge, what do you think of the `rights of the South in the territories' now?" Despite Bragg’s accusations, in February 1864 Breckinridge was called to Richmond and charged with heading the Western Department of Virginia, a massive command that included the Shenandoah Valley. Between these two poles, the vice president vainly sought to steer a neutral course. Forewarned, he packed his bag and fled to Virginia. Walking two-by-two behind him were the political and military leaders of what would soon become the Union and the Confederacy. When the Confederates were defeated, Breckinridge's personal secession forced him into exile abroad, bringing his promising political career to a bitter end. "And from what are you suffering?" Pro-slavery Democrats started their own Southern Democratic Party and chose Breckinridge as their presidential nominee. A famous incident, recounted in many memoirs of the era, took place at a dinner party that the vice president attended. For Vice-President, Joseph Lane, of Oregon. Breckinridge next served as a volunteer during the Mexican-American War (1846-48), but saw no combat. When he finished reading law, Breckinridge spent a year at Lexington’s Transylvania University, and graduated in 1841 with an LL.B. During the Battle of Chattanooga in November, his unit was routed by Union General George H. Thomas’s attack on Missionary Ridge. At a time when the Buchanan administration was falling "in prestige and political consequence, the star of the Vice President rises higher above the clouds." Background. During its half century in the chamber, the Senate had grown from thirty-two to sixty-four members. Worried that a split in the anti-Republican vote would ensure Lincoln's victory, Davis proposed a scheme by which Breckinridge, Douglas, and Bell would agree to withdraw their candidacies in favor of a compromise candidate. He served in the state legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky before being elected to the U.S. Senate and appointed United States Attorney General during the second term of President Thomas Jefferson. The platform is quite similar to the platform of the Douglas Democrats, including the… After officially joining the Democrat party in 1843, John C. Breckinridgegot involved in political activities including campaigning for presidential nominee James K. Polk in 1844 campaign. He trusted that in the future "another Senate, in another age, shall bear to a new and larger Chamber, this Constitution vigorous and inviolate, and that the last generation of posterity shall witness the deliberations of the Representatives of American States, still united, prosperous, and free." Breckinridge and Bell agreed, but Douglas refused, arguing that northern Democrats would take Lincoln before they voted for any candidate that the southern firebrands had endorsed. Other than publicly denouncing the lawless violence of the Ku Klux Klan, he devoted himself entirely to private matters. John C. Breckinridge returned to the United States in February 1869. Forced to choose sides, Breckinridge joined his friends in the Confederacy. Privately, he told Mrs. Jefferson Davis, "I trust that I have the courage to lead a forlorn hope." All Rights Reserved. Two other political parties competed in this election as well. As he spoke, Oregon Republican Senator Edward D. Baker entered the chamber, dressed in the blue coat of a Union army colonel. Breckinridge was a Jacksonian Democrat in a state that Senator Henry Clay had made a Whig bastion. Forney recalled how the young Breckinridge spoke with great respect about Texas Senator Sam Houston, who denounced the dangers and evils of slavery. He also spoke out in the House in favor of leaving the settlers "free to form their own institutions, and enter the Union with or without slavery, as their constitutions should prescribe.". 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. He was from Kentucky.He served in the House from 1851 to 1855. Citing his wife's poor health and his own precarious finances, Breckinridge returned to Kentucky. When Boyd ran poorly on the first ballot, the convention switched to Breckinridge and nominated him on the second ballot. John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was a lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. Lane had spent his youth in Kentucky and Indiana and served in the Mexican War. Buchanan secured the Democratic Party nomination and was elected president in 1856. John C. Breckinridge (1821-1875) was a politician who served as the 14th vice president of the United States and as a Confederate general during the Civil War (1861-65). Email a Senate historian. The new vice president bought property in the District of Columbia and planned to construct, along with his good friends Senator Douglas and Senator Henry Rice of Minnesota, three large, expensive, connected houses at New Jersey Avenue and I Street that would become known as "Minnesota Row." Breckinridge was the youngest vice president in U.S. history. 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