John Cabell Breckenridge (1821-75), of
direct Scottish descent, was Vice-President from 1857-61, candidate
for President in 1860, Major-General in the Confederate Army
(1862-64), and Confederate Secretary of War (1864-65). Henry Wilson
(1812-75), of Ulster Scot descent, had a distinguished career as
United States Senator before his election to the Vice-Presidency
(1873-75). His original name was Jeremiah Jones Colbraith (i.e.,
Galbraith). He was also a distinguished author, his most important
work being the "History of the Rise and Fall of the Slave Power in
America" (1872-75). Thomas Andrews Hendricks (1819-85), who held the
Vice-Presidency only for a few months (March to November, 1885), was
of Scottish descent on his mother's side. Adlai Ewing Stevenson
(1835-1914) was Member of Congress from Illinois (1875-77), and First
Assistant Postmaster-General (1885-89), previous to becoming
Vice-President (1893-97).
SCOTS AS CABINET OFFICERS
WAR. William Harris Crawford (1772-1834), descended from David
Crawford, who came from Scotland to Virginia, c. 1654. Secretary of
War (1615-16), Secretary of the Treasury (1816-25), and save for an
unfortunate attack of paralysis, would have been President in 1824. He
was also United States Senator from Georgia (1807-13) and Minister to
France (1813-15). John Bell (1797-1869), Secretary (1841), Senator
(1847-59), and candidate of the Constitutional Union Party for
President in 1860, was probably of Scottish descent.
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