Mary Cyrene Breckinridge

Mary Cyrene Breckinridge ( 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 Mary Cyrene Burch was born on August 16, 1826, in Georgetown, Kentucky to Clifton Rhodes Burch and Alethia Viley. Her parents died when she was young and she was educated at boarding schools. Post Civil War life 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. 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, where they visited with family and friends, 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.