John C. Breckinridge was an American politician and military officer born on January 16, 1821, in Lexington, Kentucky. He served as the 14th Vice President of the United States under James Buchanan from 1857 to 1861. Breckinridge was a member of the Democratic Party and represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate before the Civil War. During the Civil War, Breckinridge became a general in the Confederate Army and played a significant role in several battles. After the war, he fled to Europe to avoid prosecution and returned to the U.S. in 1868, later becoming a prominent lawyer and politician in Kentucky.