Unidentified Artist
Description
Born near Lexington, KentuckyIn the presidential campaign of 1856, John C. Breckinridge became James Buchanan's running mate. During Breckinridge's subsequent vice-presidential tenure, he was a spokesman for national unity in the bitter sectional debates that were fast moving the country toward civil war. In the four-way election of 1860, Breckinridge was the presidential candidate of the Southern Democrats. Even when Lincoln's victory set the South on its course toward secession, he continued to urge unity. Yet once secession was accomplished, Breckinridge joined the new Confederacy and served as a general in the Confederate army. In the last months of the Civil War, Breckinridge became the Confederacy's fifth secretary of war. When Richmond fell in early April 1865, he arranged for the military and government records of the Confederacy to be surrendered intact, and these are now housed in the National Archives.
Image
Albumen Silver Print
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Record Contributed By
National Portrait GalleryRecord Harvested From
Smithsonian InstitutionKeywords
- American Civil War (1861 1865)
- Army
- Breckinridge, John Cabell
- Business And Finance
- Businessperson
- Cabinet Member
- Civil War
- Civil War, 1861 1865
- Confederate Secretary Of War
- Confederate States Of America
- Design
- E. & H. T. Anthony & Company
- Executive
- Government
- Interior
- Interior Decoration
- John Cabell Breckinridge
- Kentucky
- Law And Law Enforcement
- Lawyer
- Lawyers
- Legislators
- Male
- Men
- Military
- Officer
- Politics
- Politics And Government
- Portrait
- Portraits
- Presidential Candidate
- Railroad
- Secretary Of War
- Senators
- State Legislator
- United States
- United States. Army
- Us Senator
- Vice President Of Us
- Vice Presidents