William Breckinridge Breach of Promise Trial: 1894

Breckinridge moved the pregnant Pollard to Washington, D.C., in September 1887. There, the congressman got her a job with the Department of Agriculture and the pair continued to meet three or four times a week. After his second wife died in July 1892, the two met even more often and Breckinridge promised marriage. Pollard became pregnant a third time, but the congressman was going to acknowledge this child; the couple even considered names for the baby. They were supposed to be wed on May 31, 1893, but on April 29 Breckinridge secretly married his cousin. (According to the congressman, this was done so his new wife could gain the affections of his children before they learned about the wedding.) Before Pollard learned about the marriage, she and the congressman postponed their nuptials until December (long after their child's anticipated birth) so no one would know that Breckinridge was the baby's father. But a few weeks later, Pollard found out about Breckinridge's secret marriage. Then, on May 24, she suffered a miscarriage. Finally realizing that she had been conned all along, Pollard sued for $50,000 (equal to more than $500,000 today) for breach of promise.