Jefferson Davis

From Turtledove

Jefferson Davis
Historical Figure
Timeline:	OTL
Nationality:	United States (Confederate States, 1861-1865)
Religion:	Episcopalians
Date of Birth:	1808
Date of Death:	1889
Cause of Death:	Natural Causes
Occupation:	Soldier, Politician
Spouse:	Sarah Knox Taylor Varina Howell Davis
Affiliations:	Democratic Party
Timeline:	"Must and Shall" (mentioned)
Date of Birth:	1808
Date of Death:	c. 1865
Cause of Death:	Execution by hanging
Timeline:	The Guns of the South
Nationality:	Confederate States
Occupation:	Politician
Affiliations:	Whig Party
Timeline:	Southern Victory (referenced throughout)
Nationality:	Confederate States

Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) was the president of the Confederate States for the entirety of its existence, 1861-65. Davis believed that corruption had destroyed the Union and that the Confederacy had to be pure to survive. A West Point graduate, Davis prided himself on the military skills he gained in the Mexican-American War as a colonel of a volunteer regiment, and as U.S. Secretary of War under Franklin Pierce. He'd also served as a US Congressman (1845-46) and Senator (1847-51) from the state of Mississippi.

[edit] Jefferson Davis in "Must and Shall"

As President of the Confederate States, Jefferson Davis was targeted for retribution by United States President Hannibal Hamlin following the assassination of his predecessor Abraham Lincoln while the latter was inspecting the redoubts around Washington, DC in July 12, 1864. Upon the defeat of the Confederate States in 1865, Davis, along with other key Confederate politicians and military officials including Robert E. Lee and Joseph Johnston, were hanged.

Hannibal Hamlin then proceeded to punish the Confederacy by installing a harsh period of military occupation, destroying their economy and promoting the former black slaves to important offices which lead to long-term animosity between the inhabitants of the South and the North, as well as racial tensions throughout the former Confederate States. During World War II, Germany smuggled weapons into the South to stir up revolt and distract the U.S. government.

[edit] Jefferson Davis in The Guns of the South

As president, Jefferson Davis was one of the few people who knew that the Rivington Men and their "repeating" rifles were from the year 2014. He and Robert E. Lee shared a number of conversations about the men and their intentions after the repeaters had secured victory for the C.S. Davis insisted that Lee run for the presidency, despite Lee's misgivings. After Lee's election, Davis was present at Lee's inauguration as part his last official duties as president. He survived the Richmond Massacre, and became Lee's Secretary of War. In the aftermath of the Richmond Massacre, Davis oversaw the implementation of President Lee's declaration of martial law over several North Carolina counties as the government prepared to move against the Rivington Men.

[edit] Jefferson Davis in Southern Victory

During Jefferson Davis' administration, his country ensured its independence by defeating the United States in the War of Secession. This was despite former soldier and US Secretary of War Davis's constant meddling in the affairs of the Army. In the fall of 1862, when the war was won, he was willing to defer to the generals of his two largest armies, Robert E. Lee and Braxton Bragg, who were personal favorites of his.

After the war, Davis helped found the Whig Party.

In the early 1920s, when inflation was destroying the Confederate economy following the Great War, a portrait of Davis's inauguration decorated the reverse side of the Confederate fifty million dollar bill. Jake Featherston of the Freedom Party considered Davis to have been a great Whig President.

Office
Preceded by None (James Buchanan as President of the United States)	President of the Confederate States (The Guns of the South, OTL, Southern Victory) 1862-1868	Succeeded by Robert E. Lee (The Guns of the South) Unknown, Next Known is James Longstreet (Southern Victory)