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Jefferson Davis
JeffDavis
Historical Figure
Nationality: United States (1808-1861),
Confederate States (1861-1865),
Stateless (1865-1889)
Year of Birth: 1808
Year of Death: 1889
Cause of Death: Bronchitis and malaria
Religion: Episcopalianism
Occupation: Planter, Soldier, Politician, Author of Non-Fiction
Spouse: Sarah Knox Taylor (d. 1835),
Varina Howell Davis
Children: Samuel, Margaret, Jeff Jr., Joseph, William, Winnie
Military Branch: United States Army (Mexican-American War)
Political Party: Democratic Party
Political Office(s): United States Representative from Mississippi,
United States Senator from Mississippi,
U.S. Secretary of War,
President of the Confederate States
Fictional Appearances:

Jefferson Finis Davis (June 3, 1808 - December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the first and only president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. Before the American Civil War, Davis represented Mississippi in both the United States Senate and in the House of Representatives, and served as the United States Secretary of War from 1853 to 1857.

A West Point graduate, Davis became a cotton farmer in Mississippi in the 1830s. Already a widower, Davis married Varina Howell in 1845, the same year he was elected to the United States House of Representatives. From 1846 to 1847, he fought in the Mexican-American War as the colonel of a volunteer regiment. He was appointed to the United States Senate in 1847, resigning to unsuccessfully run as governor of Mississippi. In 1853, President Franklin Pierce appointed him Secretary of War. After Pierce's administration ended in 1857, Davis returned to the Senate. He resigned in 1861 when Mississippi seceded from the United States.

During the Civil War, Davis guided the Confederacy's policies and served as its commander in chief. When the Confederacy was defeated in 1865, Davis was captured, accused of treason, and imprisoned at Fort Monroe. He was released without trial after two years. In the period immediately after the war ended, Davis was often blamed for the Confederacy's defeat, but upon his release from prison, he became a hero of the Lost Cause ideology. In the late 19th and the 20th centuries, his legacy as Confederate leader was celebrated in the South. In the twenty-first century, he is frequently criticized as a supporter of slavery and racism, and many of the memorials dedicated to him throughout the United States have been removed.

Jefferson Davis in "Must and Shall"[]

"Must and Shall"
POD: July 12, 1864
Type of Appearance: Contemporary reference
Date of Death: c. 1865
Cause of Death: Execution by hanging

President Jefferson Davis (1808-1865[?]) was one of several Confederates targeted for retribution by newly ascended Union President Hannibal Hamlin in July 1864. After the Union suppressed the Great Rebellion in 1865, Davis and other key Confederate leaders, including Robert E. Lee and Joseph Johnston, were hanged for treason.

Jefferson Davis in The Guns of the South[]

The Guns of the South
POD: January 17, 1864
Type of Appearance: Direct
Nationality: Confederate States
Political Party: Confederate Party
Political Office(s): President of the CSA,
then Secretary of War for the CSA


As President of the C.S.A., Jefferson Davis was one of the first people to learn of the arrival of an extraordinary new weapon from an extraordinary new ally of the Confederacy in early 1864. He was also one of a handful of men who knew that the Rivington Men and their "repeating" rifles were time travelers from the year 2014.

Though his prideful and unyielding nature had alienated many members of his military and administration, Davis had a mutually friendly and respectful relationship with Robert E. Lee. He listened to Lee's praise for the AK-47 during the war, thus aiding in making sure it was adopted for use, and as the war ended in a Confederate victory, Davis personally addressed the triumphant Army of Northern Virginia and Army of Tennessee at Camp Lee, just outside of Richmond. Later, Davis and Lee held several private conversations regarding the potential threat of the Rivington Men if they sought to control the Confederacy for their own ends.

As the Confederate constitution limited all CS Presidents to one six-year term, Davis insisted that Lee run for the presidency in 1867, despite Lee's misgivings. Though he had always been happier as a soldier than a politician, Davis was savvy enough as the latter that, by invoking Lee's deep commitment to duty, he convinced Lee that his duty was to run for office. Accordingly, Davis made sure everyone in the Confederacy knew that Lee had his support, and remained a friend and confidant to Lee during the challenging campaign against Nathan Bedford Forrest.

After Lee's election, Davis was present at Lee's inauguration on March 4, 1868 as part of his last official duties as President. During the ceremony an assassination attempt on Lee took place. Davis acted quickly to get Lee out of the line of fire and ensured he stayed safely away from the fighting as Confederate forces attacked and seized the AWB's offices in the city. In the aftermath of what became known as the Richmond Massacre, Davis assumed the office of Secretary of War at Lee's request and 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's last stronghold.

Jefferson Davis in Southern Victory[]

Southern Victory
POD: September 10, 1862
Appearance(s): Throughout
Type of Appearance: Contemporary and posthumous references
Nationality: Confederate States
Cause of Death: Unrevealed
Political Party: Whig Party

During Jefferson Davis' administration, the newly-formed Confederate States of America defeated the United States of America in the former's bid for independence. In the fall of 1862, when C.S. won the War of Secession, 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. Davis was not well-liked in the Confederate government or military, as he was known for constantly meddling in the affairs of both.

After the war ended, Davis helped found the Whig Party. He served out his constitutionally-mandated single six-year term and left office in 1868.[1]

Davis' legacy endured well after his lifetime. In the early 1920s, when inflation was destroying the Confederate economy following the Great War, a portrait of Davis' inauguration decorated the reverse side of the Confederate fifty million dollar bill. Jake Featherston of the Freedom Party considered Davis to have been one of three great past Presidents, along with Lee and Longstreet.

See Also[]

References[]

  1. Davis was appointed provisional president from February 18, 1861 to February 22, 1862. With the ratification of the Confederate Constitution, he served one six-year term to 1868.
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