Autographs
Scarce 1860 “John C Breckinridge” ALS as Vice President
JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE. Vice President of the United States under President Buchanan, Confederate General and CSA Secretary of War.
An original Autograph Letter Signed, “John C Breckinridge” as Vice President, March 25, 1860, Washington City, 1 page, measuring 5” x 8”, Very Fine. John C. Breckinridge was a major Candidate against Abraham Lincoln in the party-realignment Presidential Election of 1860. He writes to J.C. Van Dyke, a Democratic politician in Philadelphia regarding a false story regarding a fake speech attributed to him. Letter reads, in part:

“I send you as requested the paper containing what purports to be an outline of my speech... Any man can see that it is incomplete and improper, and does not even profess to be my speech. The whole charge is malicious false and mean...”.

Well written in deep brown upon lightly toned blue lined period wove paper. The Letter is signed “John C Breckinridge” as Vice President, measuring 2.75” long.
John C. Breckinridge was a major Candidate against Abraham Lincoln in the party-realignment Presidential Election of 1860.

He would soon be the nominee of two Democratic splinter groups. Breckinridge was the youngest Vice President, just over 36 years old when he was inaugurated in 1857. At the time of this letter, which finds him complaining about his political opponents, Breckinridge was prominent among contenders for the Presidential nomination.

The convention met at Charleston, from April 23rd to May 3rd, 1860, but failed to make a nomination due to the deadlock over the approach to the Slavery issue. This would lead to Breckinridge receiving the nomination of the Southern wing of the party and becoming the principal States-Rights candidate.