Jefferson DavisPresident of the Confederate States of America
Country: USA
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Jefferson Davis Biography
Jefferson Davis was born in 1808 in Fairview, Kentucky. He received a classical education at Transylvania University and then attended West Point, graduating in 1828. For the next seven years, he held various military positions in the old Northwest, but unexpectedly resigned from military service in 1835.
In 1845, Davis was elected as a representative to the House of Representatives. However, in June 1846, he resigned to command the Mississippi Regiment in the Mexican-American War. Under the command of Zachary Taylor, he distinguished himself at the sieges of Monterrey and Buena Vista.
In 1847, Davis was appointed as a senator in the United States Congress from the state of Mississippi for an incomplete term. In 1851, he resigned to run for the position of governor of Mississippi in competition with another senator from the state, Henry S. Foote. Davis staunchly defended the rights of the South and advocated for the expansion of slaveholding territory and economic development to counter Northern power. He lost the election by less than a thousand votes and retired to his plantation until Franklin Pierce appointed him as Secretary of War in 1853. Davis supported the annexation of Cuba and also promoted the continuation of construction on the southern transcontinental railroad, which favored the purchase of the Gadsden territory. He returned to the Senate in 1857.
Until the state of Mississippi declared its secession in January 1861, Davis did not actively participate in the secession movement. After his state's secession, he left the Senate and was immediately appointed as a major general of the Mississippi militia. Shortly thereafter, he was elected as the President of the Confederate States, and he assumed office in February 1861. His inauguration took place in Richmond, Virginia. Initially relying more on military rather than civilian administration, Davis tightly controlled the Confederate army and often clashed with Confederate generals. Disputes over his policies continued long after the demise of the Confederacy. General Robert E. Lee signed the surrender without Davis' consent.
After the final session of the Confederate government in April 1865 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Davis was arrested in Irwinville, Georgia. He was imprisoned at Fort Monroe for two years, and in May 1867, he was released on bail. He demanded a trial, but the federal government refused. In 1870, President Johnson granted Davis amnesty. He passed away in 1889 in New Orleans. In 1893, his body was transported to the former Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia.