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Judah Benjamin
Benjamin
Historical Figure
Nationality: British Empire (1811-1813),
United States (1813-1861),
Confederate States (1861-1865),
United Kingdom (1865-1884)
Year of Birth: 1811
Year of Death: 1884
Cause of Death: Heart-related illness
Religion: Judaism
Occupation: Lawyer, politician
Spouse: Natalie St. Martin
Children: Ninette Benjamin
Political Party: Whig Party (Before 1856)
Democratic Party (1856-1884)
Political Office(s): United States Senator from Louisiana,
CS Attorney General,
CS Secretary of War,
CS Secretary of State
Fictional Appearances:
The Guns of the South
POD: January 17, 1864
Type of Appearance: Direct
Nationality: Confederate States
Political Party: Confederate Party
Southern Victory
POD: September 10, 1862
Appearance(s): How Few Remain
Type of Appearance: Direct
Nationality: Confederate States
Date of Death: Unrevealed
Occupation: Diplomat
Political Party: Whig Party

Judah Philip Benjamin (August 11, 1811 – May 6, 1884) was a prominent American politician, and lawyer, who served as a representative in the Louisiana state legislature, as United States Senator for Louisiana, in several Cabinet posts in the government of the Confederate States of America, and as a distinguished barrister and Queen's Counsel in the United Kingdom. He was the second Jew to serve as a U.S. Senator, and the first in the Cabinet of a North American government (although an unrecognized one).

Judah Benjamin in The Guns of the South[]

Judah Benjamin served as Jefferson Davis' Secretary of State and as one of the Confederacy's representatives to the peace conference that resulted in the end of the Second American Revolution and the recognition of the CS. He was a particularly shrewd man, and was one of the few Confederate leaders privy to the truth about the Rivington Men. For these reasons, Lee asked Benjamin to continue in the position of Secretary of State when Lee was elected.

Benjamin was wounded during the Rivington Men's attack on Robert E. Lee's inauguration as president on March 4, 1868. The bullet passed through his calf, but did not damage the bone.

Judah Benjamin in Southern Victory[]

Judah Benjamin was Secretary of State under President Jefferson Davis, and served in the Cabinets of many others of the Confederacy's first generation of leaders. He led his country's diplomatic efforts in the War of Secession. During the presidency of James Longstreet, Judah Benjamin was the ambassador to the United States. Despite his best efforts, he was not able to prevent the Second Mexican War of 1881-2.

During the closing days of the Second Mexican War, Benjamin became aware that Senator Wade Hampton III was attempting to recruit support for a coup should Longstreet go through with his plans to end slavery. He also knew that Hampton had unsuccessfully attempted to recruit Thomas Jackson, a fact which surprised Jackson.

Later generations of Confederates revered Benjamin as a founding father.[1]

References[]

  1. American Front, p. 407, mmp.
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