Jefferson Davis

Term of office
February 18, 1861 - May 5, 1865
Political party  |  Democratic Party
Vice President |  Alexander Stephens (1861-1865)
Preceded by |  none; appointed to office by secessionist legislature
Succeeded by |  none; office abolished with end of the Confederacy
Born |  June 3, 1808
Christian County, Kentucky
Died |  December 6, 1889 (aged 81)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Spouse |  Sarah Knox Taylor
Varina Howell
Religion |  Episcopalian

Jefferson Davis was an American and Confederate politician, best known for being the first (and only) president of the breakaway Confederate States of America.

Davis was born in Kentucky on or around June 3, 1808 (actual date not certain) into a military family, his father having served in the Revolutionary War. In 1835 he married Sarah Knox Taylor, the daughter of President Zachary Taylor. Sarah died of malaria three months after their wedding. He married Varina Howell in 1845; they had six children, three of whom reach adulthood. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy. He served in the military from 1831 until 1835 when he resigned and settled in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Jefferson Davis is best known as the only president of the Confederate States of America. Davis did not get involved in politics until 1843 at the age of 35. He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1845 and resigned in 1846 to re-enter the army during the Mexican War. He continued in this service until 1847 when he was appointed by the governor of Mississippi to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. From February 1864 till the war was over in 1865, Jefferson and Varina adopted Jim Limber, a biracial boy.[1][2]

After the Confederate defeat Davis was stripped of his US citizenship, which was posthumously restored by President Jimmy Carter in 1978.[3]

## Contents

* 1 Legacy
* 2 Further reading
* 3 References
* 4 External links

## Legacy[edit]

His reputation has been mostly negative, he was called a weak leader and caused the downfall of the Confederacy compared to the Union having skilled generals such as Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman.

## Further reading[edit]

* The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, by Jefferson Davis; ebook downloadable from Project Gutenburg

## References[edit]

1. ↑ http://www.firstwhitehouse.org/did-jefferson-davis-adopt-jim-limber-black-orphan-boy/
2. ↑ https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Limber_Jim
3. ↑ [1]

## External links[edit]

* Works by Jefferson Davis - text and free audio \- LibriVox