Second Lady of the United States
Mary Cyrene Breckinridge
(
nee
Burch; August 16, 1826 ? October 8, 1907) was the wife of
John C. Breckinridge
and served as the
second lady of the United States
from March 4, 1857, until March 4, 1861, while her husband was the
14th vice president of the United States
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Mary Cyrene Burch was born on August 16, 1826, in
Georgetown, Kentucky
to Clifton Rhodes Burch and Alethia Viley.
[1]
Her parents died when she was young and she was educated at boarding schools.
[2]
Post Civil War life
[
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]
After the
Civil War
ended in 1865, in which her husband served as the last
Confederate States Secretary of War
, he was indicted by the Federal government for high treason. Fearing that he would be put on trial, he fled the country, first into the wilds of Florida, then across the Caribbean to Cuba.
[1]
In June 1865, Breckinridge settled initially in exile in Canada, living abroad for three years, traveling to England, France, and the Middle East. The Breckinridge family spent the summer of 1866 in
Niagara
, on
Lake Ontario
,
[3]
where they visited with family and friends,
[1]
including his cousin
Mary Cabell Breckinridge Porter
, widow of their cousin Col.
Peter A. Porter
, who died during the
Battle of Cold Harbor
, fighting for the Union side.
[1]
The family settled in
Toronto
, Canada, where Breckinridge met other
Confederate exiles
, including the freed
Jefferson Davis
. Their daughter Mary later stated that exile was a quiet relief for Mary Burch Breckinridge, it was hard on John. He later rejoined his family in Canada and moved into a house that was within view of the United States border. Following President
Andrew Johnson
's amnesty for all former Confederates on Christmas Day 1868, John and Mary Breckinridge returned to the US in February 1869.
[1]
Personal life
[
edit
]
On December 12, 1843, after a brief courtship, she was married to
John Cabell Breckinridge
, son of
Joseph "Cabell" Breckinridge
(1788?1823), the 13th
Secretary of State of Kentucky
, and Mary Clay Smith. Shortly after their marriage, they purchased a home for $1,250 in
Georgetown
near Breckinridge's law practice.
[4]
Together, they had six children, including:
[5]
- Joseph Cabell Breckinridge II (1844?1906), a prominent New York attorney who married Sallie Frances Johnson, daughter of
Robert Ward Johnson
- Clifton Rhodes Breckinridge
(1846?1932), an
Arkansas
Congressman
, who married Katherine Carson
[6]
- Frances "Frannie" Breckinridge (1848?1924), who married John Andrew Steele (1840?1921)
[5]
- John Milton Breckinridge (1849?1850), who died young.
- John Witherspoon "Owen" Breckinridge
(1850?1892), a member of
California State Assembly
from 1884 to 1885, who married Louise Tevis, daughter of
Lloyd Tevis
, the first president of
Wells Fargo Bank
.
[7]
- Mary Desha Breckinridge (1854?1928), who married Charles Anson Maltby (b. 1848)
[5]
In 1875, Mary Breckinridge was widowed. She later died at her daughter's home in
University Heights, Bronx
on October 8, 1907.
[1]
[8]
She was buried at
Lexington Cemetery
in
Lexington, Kentucky
.
[9]
Descendants
[
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]
Her grandchildren included
James Carson Breckinridge
(1877?1942), a lieutenant general of the
United States Marine Corps
and
Mary Carson Breckinridge
(1881?1965), a nurse-midwife and the founder of the
Frontier Nursing Service
.
[6]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
MacLean, Maggie (September 23, 2009).
"Mary Breckinridge"
.
civilwarwomenblog.com
. Civil War Women | Women of the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras 1849?1877
. Retrieved
3 January
2017
.
- ^
Crist, Lynda Lasswell (March 12, 2012).
The Papers of Jefferson Davis: 1871–1879
. LSU Press.
ISBN
9780807139073
. Retrieved
3 January
2017
.
- ^
"Kentucky Digital Library"
.
kdl.kyvl.org
. University of Kentucky
. Retrieved
3 January
2017
.
- ^
Davis, William C. (January 13, 2015).
Breckinridge: Statesman, Soldier, Symbol
. University Press of Kentucky.
ISBN
9780813159973
. Retrieved
3 January
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
Heck, Frank H. (January 13, 2015).
Proud Kentuckian: John C. Breckinridge, 1821-1875
. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky.
ISBN
9780813150383
. Retrieved
3 January
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Goan, Melanie Beals (September 1, 2012).
Mary Breckinridge: The Frontier Nursing Service and Rural Health in Appalachia
. UNC Press Books.
ISBN
9781469606644
. Retrieved
3 January
2017
.
- ^
"Breckinridge"
. Archived from
the original
on 2009-08-31
. Retrieved
2009-08-17
.
- ^
"The Breckinridge Family Papers (Library of Congress)"
.
www.loc.gov
. Archived from
the original
on 2004-12-11.
- ^
"OLD MYSTIC SHRINER DEAD.; John A. Johnson, Also a Knights Templar, Was 95 Years Old"
.
The New York Times
. 10 October 1907
. Retrieved
3 January
2017
.
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