Jefferson Finis Davis
| Jefferson Davis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| President of the Confederate States | |
|
In office February 22, 1862 – May 10, 1865 Provisional: February 18, 1861 – February 22, 1862 |
|
| Vice President | Alexander H. Stephens |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
|
United States Senator from Mississippi |
|
|
In office March 4, 1857 – January 21, 1861 |
|
| Preceded by | Stephen Adams |
| Succeeded by |
Adelbert Ames (Vacant until 1870) |
|
In office August 10, 1847 – September 23, 1851 |
|
| Preceded by | Jesse Speight |
| Succeeded by | John J. McRae |
| 23rd United States Secretary of War | |
|
In office March 7, 1853 – March 4, 1857 |
|
| President | Franklin Pierce |
| Preceded by | Charles M. Conrad |
| Succeeded by | John B. Floyd |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's At-large district |
|
|
In office December 8, 1845 – June 1, 1846 |
|
| Preceded by | Tilghman Tucker |
| Succeeded by | Henry T. Ellett |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jefferson Finis Davis June 3, 1808 Fairview, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | December 6, 1889 (aged 81) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Resting place |
Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Sarah Knox Taylor (m. 1835; her death 1835) Varina Howell (m. 1845; his death 1889) |
| Alma mater |
Transylvania University United States Military Academy |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
United States Army United States Volunteers |
| Years of service | 1825–1835 1846–1847 |
| Rank |
 First Lieutenant Colonel
|
| Unit | First Dragoons |
| Commands | First Mississippi |
| Battles/wars | |
 Booknotes interview with William J. Cooper on Jefferson Davis, American, April 8, 2001, C-SPAN
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Jefferson Davis (born Jefferson Finis Davis; June 3, 1808 – December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the President of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He was a member of the Democratic Party who represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives prior to becoming president of the Confederacy. He was the 23rd United States Secretary of War, serving under U.S. President Franklin Pierce from 1853 to 1857.
Davis was born in Fairview, Kentucky, to a moderately prosperous farmer, and grew up on his older brother Joseph's large cotton plantations in Mississippi and Louisiana. Joseph Davis also secured his appointment to the United States Military Academy. After graduating, Jefferson Davis served six years as a lieutenant in the United States Army. He fought in the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), as the colonel of a volunteer regiment. Before the American Civil War, he operated a large cotton plantation in Mississippi and owned as many as 74 slaves. Although he argued against secession in 1858, he believed states had an unquestionable right to leave the Union.
Davis's first wife, Sarah Knox Taylor, died of malaria after three months of marriage, and he also struggled with recurring bouts of the disease. He was unhealthy for much of his life. At the age of 36, Davis married again, to 18-year-old Varina Howell, a native of Natchez, Mississippi, who had been educated in Philadelphia and had some family ties in the North. They had six children. Only two survived him, and only one married and had children.
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