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Alexander Stephens
AlexanderStephens
Historical Figure
Nationality: United States (Confederate States, 1861-65)
Year of Birth: 1812
Year of Death: 1883
Cause of Death: Purportedly from injuries received when a gate collapsed on him
Occupation: Lawyer, Educator Politician, Author of Non-Fiction
Parents: Andrew Baskins Stephens;
Margaret Grier;
Matilda Lindsay (stepmother)
Spouse: None
Children: Allen Stephens (probable son)
Political Party: Whig Party (1836-1851)
Unionist Party (1851-1860)
Constitutional Party (1860-1861)
Democratic Party (1861-1883)
Political Office(s): United States Representative from Georgia,
Vice President of the Confederate States,
Governor of Georgia
Fictional Appearances:
The Guns of the South
POD: January 17, 1864
Type of Appearance: Direct
Nationality: Confederate States


Southern Victory
POD: September 10, 1862
Appearance(s): American Front
Type of Appearance: Posthumous reference
Nationality: Confederate States
Cause of Death: Unrevealed

Alexander Hamilton Stephens (February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883) was an American politician from Georgia. He was the only Vice President of the Confederate States, serving 1861-1865 during the American Civil War. He also served as a U.S. Representative from Georgia (both before the Civil War and after Reconstruction) and as Governor of Georgia from 1882 until his death in 1883.

Stephens used his term as Vice President as a launching pad for opposition to the policies of C.S. President Jefferson Davis.

Alexander Stephens in The Guns of the South[]

Alexander Stephens was the first Vice President of the Confederate States. While Stephens and President Jefferson Davis vigorously disagreed on many policy issues, they held each other in high personal regard. He was also among the Confederate VIPs who knew early on the origin of the Rivington Men.[1]

After an armistice was negotiated to end fighting in the Second American Revolution, Davis and United States President Abraham Lincoln agreed to a peace conference with three Peace Commissioners appointed by each side. Davis appointed Stephens, General Robert E. Lee, and Judah Benjamin to represent the C.S.A.[2] A peace treaty was negotiated whereby the Confederacy abandoned claims to West Virginia and Maryland, while the United States ceded the Indian Territory along with any areas within the Confederacy that they captured earlier in the war. Also, state-wide referendums were to be held to determine the status of Kentucky and Missouri. Kentucky elected to join the C.S. while Missouri voted to remain with the U.S.[3]

Despite Stephens' own desire for the presidency, Davis encouraged Robert E. Lee to run for President in 1867.[4] Lee did run, and did win. Stephens was among the wounded during the Richmond Massacre on inauguration day, 1868.[5]

Alexander Stephens in Southern Victory[]

Alexander Stephens was the first Vice President of the Confederate States, serving from 1861-1868[6] under President Jefferson Davis. "As skinny as Alexander Stephens" was a convenient everyday simile.[7]

References[]

  1. The Guns of the South, pg. 447, mmp.
  2. Ibid., pg. 211, mmp.
  3. Ibid., pgs. 225-230, 243-247, 262-264, 271-273, 285-290.
  4. Ibid., pg. 231.
  5. Ibid., pg. 417.
  6. Not strictly stated, but there is no reason to think he didn't finish his term.
  7. American Front, pg. 407, mmp.
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