At the time of his election as vice president of the United States, John Cabell Breckinridge (1821-1875) was considered to be one of America's most promising young leaders. Caught up in the battle over the extension of slavery, this once moderate Democrat became the presidential candidate of the extreme Southern wing of his party in 1860. Joining the Confederacy, he served with distinction in the Civil War and later became an advocate of national reconciliation during Reconstruction.

Few American leaders of the mid-19th century underwent as tragic a political evolution as did John Cabell Breckinridge. A rising star in his native Kentucky by age 30, he advocated compromise and understanding between North and South at the start of his career. A strikingly handsome man with impressive oratorical skills, he advanced from a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to serve as vice president under James Buchanan from...