John C. Breckinridge was one of the most fascinating and controversial figures in American history. Born in Kentucky in 1821, he became the youngest Vice President of the United States at just 36. In 1860, he ran for president as the Southern Democratic candidate, but the nation soon fractured with Lincoln’s election and the Civil War. Breckinridge joined the Confederacy, rising to general and later serving as its last Secretary of War. After fleeing into exile, he eventually returned home to Kentucky, where he lived out his final years away from politics.