OVERVIEW:

FULL NAME:
John Cabell Breckinridge

BORN:
January 16, 1821
Lexington, Kentucky

DIED:
May 17, 1875 (age 54)
Lexington, Kentucky 

EDUCATION:
Centre College 
College of New Jersey (now Princeton University)
Transylvania Institute 

HIGHLIGHTS:
1840:
Admitted to to the Bar
1847-1848:
Major of the Third Kentucky Volunteers during the Mexican War 
1849-1850:
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
1851-1855:
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky
1857-1861:
Vice President of the United States
1860:
Unsuccessful Candidate for President  
March 4, 1861- December 4, 1861
U.S. Senator from Kentucky
1861:
Expelled from the Senate for supporting the Confederacy 
Entered the Confederate Army 
January-April 1865:
Confederate States Secretary of War
1865-1868:
Lived in Europe
1868:
Returned to Lexington, Kentucky and resumed practicing law 

RESOURCES:
Senate Historical Office
Biographical Directory of Congress
U.S. House of Representatives
Wikipedia
National Park Service
Harper’s Weekly
UVA Miller Center

PORTRAIT: