Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Davis
Photograph by Mathew Brady, c. 1859
President of the Confederate States
In office February 22, 1862 – May 5, 1865 Provisional: February 18, 1861 – February 22, 1862
Vice President	Alexander H. Stephens
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
United States Senator from Mississippi
In office March 4, 1857 – January 21, 1861
Preceded by	Stephen Adams
Succeeded by	Adelbert Ames (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 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 – October 28, 1846 Seat D
Preceded by	Tilghman Tucker
Succeeded by	Henry T. Ellett
Personal details
Born	Jefferson F. Davis (1808-06-03)June 3, 1808 Fairview, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	December 6, 1889(1889-12-06) (aged 81) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Resting place	Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Other political affiliations	Southern Rights
Spouses	Sarah Knox Taylor ​ ​ (m. 1835; died 1835)​ Varina Howell ​ (m. 1845)​
Children	6, including Varina
Education	United States Military Academy
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States Mississippi
Branch/service	United States Army United States Volunteers Mississippi Army
Years of service	1825–1835 1846–1847
Rank	First lieutenant Colonel Major General
Unit	1st U.S. Dragoons
Commands	1st Mississippi Rifles
Battles/wars	American Indian Wars Black Hawk War Mexican-American War Battle of Monterrey Battle of Buena Vista (WIA)

Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808 – December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the first and only president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party before the American Civil War. He was the United States Secretary of War from 1853 to 1857.

Davis, the youngest of ten children, was born in Fairview, Kentucky, but spent most of his childhood in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. His eldest brother Joseph Emory Davis secured the younger Davis's appointment to the United States Military Academy. Upon graduating, he served six years as a lieutenant in the United States Army. After leaving the army in 1835, Davis married Sarah Knox Taylor, daughter of general and future President Zachary Taylor. Sarah died from malaria three months after the wedding. Davis became a cotton planter, building Brierfield Plantation in Mississippi on his brother Joseph's land and eventually owning as many as 113 slaves.

In 1845, Davis married Varina Howell. During the same year, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving for one year. From 1846 to 1847, he fought in the Mexican–American War as the colonel of a volunteer regiment. He was appointed to the United States Senate in 1847, resigning to unsuccessfully run as governor of Mississippi. In 1853, President Franklin Pierce appointed him Secretary of War. After Pierce's administration ended in 1857, Davis returned to the Senate. He resigned in 1861 when Mississippi seceded from the United States.

During the Civil War, Davis guided the Confederacy's policies and served as its commander in chief. When the Confederacy was defeated in 1865, Davis was captured, arrested for alleged complicity in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, accused of treason, and imprisoned at Fort Monroe. He was released without trial after two years. Immediately after the war, Davis was often blamed for the Confederacy's defeat, but after his release from prison, the Lost Cause of the Confederacy movement considered him to be a hero. In the late 19th and the 20th centuries, his legacy as Confederate leader was celebrated in the South. In the twenty-first century, his leadership of the Confederacy has been seen as constituting treason, and he has been frequently criticized as a supporter of slavery and racism. Many of the memorials dedicated to him throughout the United States have been removed.