Beriah Magoffin Jr.
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Born the son of an Irish immigrant, Beriah Magoffin Jr. would have a great impact on Kentucky politics at the start of the Civil War. Though a Southern sympathizer, he realized Kentucky's unique position in American politics, culture, and economy. He felt that the wisest course for the state would be that of neutrality. To choose a side would be alienate the other. Kentucky was solidly Southern in culture, but its economic ties to the North left the Commonwealth between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
