Judah P. Benjamin
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Judah P. Benjamin QC |
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Benjamin, photographed c. 1856
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| 3rd Confederate States Secretary of State | |
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In office March 18, 1862 – May 10, 1865 |
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| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | William Browne (acting) |
| Succeeded by | none |
| 2nd Confederate States Secretary of War | |
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In office September 17, 1861 – March 24, 1862 |
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| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | LeRoy Walker |
| Succeeded by | George Randolph |
| 1st Confederate States Attorney General | |
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In office February 25, 1861 – November 15, 1861 |
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| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Wade Keyes (acting) |
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United States Senator from Louisiana |
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In office March 4, 1853 – February 4, 1861 Serving with Pierre Soulé, John Slidell |
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| Preceded by | Solomon Downs |
| Succeeded by | John Harris |
| Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Judah Philip Benjamin August 11, 1811 Christiansted, Danish West Indies (today U.S. Virgin Islands) |
| Died | May 6, 1884 (aged 72) Paris, France |
| Political party |
Whig (before 1856) Democratic (from 1856) |
| Spouse(s) | Natalie Bauché de St. Martin (1833–1884) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Signature |  |
Judah Philip Benjamin, QC (August 11, 1811 – May 6, 1884) was a lawyer and politician who was a United States Senator from Louisiana, a Cabinet officer of the Confederate States and, after his escape to the United Kingdom at the end of the American Civil War, an English barrister. Benjamin was the first Jew to be elected to the United States Senate who had not renounced the religion, and the first of that faith to hold a Cabinet position in North America.
Benjamin was born to Sephardic Jewish parents from London, who had moved to St. Croix in the Danish West Indies when it was occupied by Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. Seeking greater opportunities, his family emigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Charleston, South Carolina. Benjamin attended Yale College but left without graduating and moved to New Orleans, where he read law and passed the bar.
Benjamin rose rapidly both at the bar and in politics. He became a wealthy slaveowner and served in both houses of the Louisiana legislature prior to his election to the Senate in 1852 There, he was an eloquent supporter of slavery, and resigned as senator after Louisiana left the Union in early 1861. He returned to New Orleans, but soon left when Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed him Attorney General. Benjamin had little to do in that position, but Davis was impressed by his competence and appointed him Secretary of War. Benjamin firmly supported Davis, and the President reciprocated the loyalty by promoting him to Secretary of State in March 1862 while Benjamin was being criticized for the rebel defeat at the Battle of Roanoke Island.
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Wikipedia