Breckinridge attacked as disunionist - JULY 20, 1999 edition of THE KENTUCKY GAZETTE, used by permission

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A Prickly conscience, political miscalculation and fate have destroyed many a promising political career. John Cabell Breckinridge was the victim of conscience, miscalculation and fate. If any Kentuckian seemed to be blessed with good fortune through the early part of his career it was Breckinridge.

John Cabell Breckinridge, born Jan. 16, 1821, was the only son of the six children of Joseph Cabell and Mary Clay (Smith) Breckinridge. The scion of one of Kentucky's most illustrious political dynasties, Breckinridge seemed destined to carry on the family tradition of public service. John C. Breckinridge's father, Joseph served as speaker of the Kentucky House, and as secretary of state for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. His grandfather was John Breckinridge, statesman, friend of Thomas Jefferson and the man who introduced the famous Kentucky Resolutions (in defiance of the unpopular alien and sedition laws) to the General Assembly. With such an auspicious background, the future had great promise for young John.

Breckinridge received an excellent education at Centre College in Danville and went on to attend the College of New Jersey, at Princeton. Later, he studied law at Transylvania University and with future Kentucky Gov. William Owsley. In 1841, after completing his studies, Breckinridge moved to Burlington, Iowa to practice law. He soon returned to Kentucky, however, and married Mary C. Burch in 1843. The couple had six children.

In 1847 Breckinridge volunteered for service in the Mexican War (1846-48). When he returned to Kentucky, he decided to follow the family tradition of politics. It is in the political arena that he found his niche. Handsome, with a well-known name and the voice of a natural-born orator, Breckinridge was a formidable foe in a political contest.

In 1849 he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives as a Democrat. Within two years, he was ready to take on the congressional seat of the strongly Whig Ashland District (Henry Clay's district). He easily carried the election and was well on his way to national acclaim.

Breckinridge served two terms in the U.S. House (1851 - 1855). During this time, he became increasingly enamored with the cause of states' rights. Like his famous grandfather, John C. Breckinridge felt that the U.S. Constitution was a limited document with specified powers. Breckinridge shared this philosophy with some of the greatest political minds of American history, who also felt that the constitution was a creation of the states and that the states, ultimately, had the greatest power. Breckinridge felt that one of the most specific powers of the constitution was the power to protect property rights. During the 1850s the slavery controversy was, in the opinion of many Americans, chipping away at one of the very cornerstones of American law: the right to property.

It is one of those ironies offate that John C. Breckinridge was caught up in the defense of an institution in which he had little personal investment. A one-time slave owner, he held no bondsmen by 1860. Yet, his political career became intertwined with the slavery issue. Breckinridge felt that an attack on slavery was in fact, an attack on property. As a man of conscience, he felt that he must follow the dictates of that conscience despite where it might lead him politically. In 1855, Breckinridge chose not to run for re-election. He returned to Lexington where he practiced law, operated a farm and served as president of the Kentucky Association for the Improvement of the Breed of Horses. His public career, however, was far from over.

In 1856, the Democrats nominated him for the vice-presidency of the United States on the ticket with James Buchanan of Pennsylvania. Buchanan and Breckinridge defeated the newly formed Republican Party led by John C. Fremont and, at the age of 36, John C. Breckinridge became the youngest vice president in U.S. history.

Breckinridge's political star was definitely on the rise. In December 1859, before his tenure as vice-president ended, the Kentucky legislature elected him to the U.S. Senate.

Political miscalculation and fate were preparing to deal him a blow from which he would not recover.

In 1860 Breckinridge was faced with a political dilemma. The Democrats were badly divided between the factions of Illinois Sen. Stephen Douglas and the pro-slavery delegates of the South. After the party split over slavery and states' rights, the Southern delegates to the Democratic convention chose Breckinridge as their presidential candidate.

The northern Democrats chose Douglas. Breckinridge had seriously miscalculated the mood of his fellow Kentuckians, as well as the mood of the nation. He was attacked as a disunionist, and a panderer to the "slavocracy." These accusations hurt Breckinridge deeply and he felt compelled to defend his actions.

On Sept. 5, 1860 at a barbecue held at the late Henry Clay's Ashland estate, Breckinridge defended his political stand. He stated emphatically that he loved the Union and that he and his party were not for disunion. He challenged his listeners to "point out an act, to disclose an utterance, to reveal a thought," that was "hostile to the Constitution and the union of the States." He pointed out that he and his party were only reaffirming the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court about slavery in the territories. He went on to blast the Republicans as being the true disunionists. They were the ones endeavoring to destroy the Constitution by destroying the rights of the Southern states. Feeling he had vindicated his views to the electorate, Breckinridge waited for the November election.

The election of 1860 was one of the strangest of all presidential elections. Before it was over, not only were the Democrats split into two factions facing the united Republicans led by Kentucky native Abraham Lincoln, but a fourth group called the Constitutional Union Party, led by John Bell of Tennessee, added to the political chaos.

When the votes were counted, Breckinridge won 72 electoral votes to Lincoln's 180, Bell's 39 and Douglas' 12. In Kentucky, both native sons, Breckinridge and Lincoln lost to John Bell. Breckinridge received 36 percent of the Commonwealth's vote. Bell won 45 percent, Douglas garnered 17 percent and Lincoln carried less than 1 percent of Kentucky's vote. On February 13, 1861, as vice-president and president of the Senate, Breckinridge had the ironic duty of announcing the election of Abraham Lincoln as the next president of the United States.

Breckinridge briefly occupied his seat in the U.S. Senate from March to December of 1861. Horrified at the thought of civil war, he hoped a peaceful solution to the divisions between North and South might be found. By the end of 1861, with the Civil War already several months old, Breckinridge left the Senate and decided to cast his lot with the Confederacy. On Dec. 2, 1861, by a unanimous vote (several senators didn't vote), the Senate expelled Breckinridge branding him a traitor. Conscience, miscalculation and fate were ready to guide the remainder of his life. .

As a soldier in the Confederate Army, Breckinridge served admirably. He led his troops in the battles of Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga. In 1864, he was given the command of the Department of Western Virginia and won an important victory at New Market. He also participated in Jubal Early's attack on Washington, D.C. in 1864. Breckinridge's last formal service to the Confederate cause came on Feb. 7, 1865 when he was appointed Secretary of War. The end of the Confederacy was already in sight.

Within a few weeks after his appointment, the Southern cause collapsed, and Breckinridge was forced to flee to avoid capture. He was with Confederate president Jefferson Davis for a while. Davis was captured and Breckinridge managed to get to Florida and eventually to Cuba. For four years Breckinridge remained in exile. He lived in Canada, toured Europe and went as far as the Middle East. In December 1868, he received amnesty, and he returned to Kentucky in March 1869.

After his return to Lexington, Breckinridge did not attempt to go into politics again. He practiced law and became the president of a local railroad company. One of the few instances he spoke out publicly on an issue is when he attacked the Ku Klux Klan for its violence and lawlessness.

John C. Breckinridge died in Lexington on May 17, 1875. Few Kentuckians had so much promise in the realm of politics. Fewer still were as brilliant. In his brief life, Breckinridge attained the heights of public acclaim and the depths of ignominy. In death, Breckinridge again achieved the adoration of his fellow Kentuckians. His statue graces the Fayette County courthouse lawn. As so many of his family before him, Breckinridge stood for what he believed. He enjoyed and suffered the consequences of those beliefs. What better could be said of any man?

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