John
Cabell Breckenridge was
born near Lexington, Kentucky. He studied law at Transylvania University
and after graduating he set up as a lawyer. Breckenridge was elected
to the House of Representatives in 1851 and served as vice-president
of the United States (1857-61).
The Democratic Party that met in Charleston
in April, 1860, were deeply divided. Most delegates from the Deep
South argued that the Congress had no power to legislate over slavery
in their territory. The Northerners disagreed and won the vote. As
a result the Southerners walked out of the convention and another
meeting was held in Baltimore.
Again the Southerners walked out over the issue of slavery. With only
the Northern delegates left, Stephen A. Douglas
won the nomination.
Southern
delegates now held another meeting in Richmond and Breckenridge was
selected as their candidate. The situation was further complicated
by the formation of the Constitutional Union Party and the nomination
of John Bell of Tennessee.
Abraham Lincoln won the presidential
election with with 1,866,462 votes (18 free states) and beat Stephen
A. Douglas (1,375,157 - 1 slave state), Breckenridge (847,953
- 13 slave states) and John Bell (589,581
- 3 slave states). Between election day in November, 1860 and inauguration
the following March, seven states seceded from the Union: South Carolina,
Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.
Representatives from these seven states quickly established a new
political organization, the Confederate States of America. On 8th
February they adopted a constitution and within ten days had elected
Jefferson Davis as its president with
Breckenridge as Secretary of War. After the American
Civil War he escaped to Europe. John Cabell Breckenridge died
in 1875.
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