Mary Cyrene Breckinridge (née 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.

[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.

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.