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- Early Life
- Children
- Mexican-American War Service
- Davis as Senator and Secretary of War
- From The Senate to The Confederacy
- Post-War Imprisonment and Later Life
- Sources
Born Jefferson Finis Davis in Kentucky in 1808 and raised in Mississippi, he was the 10th and youngest child in his family. His parents gave him the middle name Finis, meaning “final” in Latin. Davis was greatly influenced by his oldest brother, Joseph, a wealthy lawyer and planter who served as a father figure, particularly after their father’s de...
In 1845, Davis married his second wife, Varina Howell, the young daughter of a prominent local family. The couple would have six children—four sons and two daughters—though only their daughters lived until adulthood. That same year, Davis won election to the U.S. House of Representativesfrom Mississippi. It was the only electoral success of his car...
When the Mexican-American Warbroke out in 1846, Davis resigned his congressional seat to serve as colonel of the First Mississippi Rifle regiment. As part of a force commanded by his former father-in-law, Davis distinguished himself in battle at Monterrey and Buena Vista. General Taylor’s praise of his heroism earned Davis national acclaim, and in ...
As a senator, Davis fiercely defended the interests of the South in the growing sectional battle over slavery that would put the nation on the path to division and civil war. He led a generation of southern Democrats who joined the proslavery crusade launched by John C. Calhoun, and continued it after Calhoun’s death in 1850. A strong supporter of ...
Davis returned to the Senate in 1857. He frequently clashed with fellow Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, arguing that Douglas’ doctrine of popular sovereignty didn’t do enough to protect the rights of slaveholders. With the Democratic Party split between North and South, Republican Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election of 1860. Davis resigned f...
On April 2, 1865, Davis and the rest of the Confederate government fled Richmond as the Union Army advanced on the Confederate capital. Union soldiers captured Davis near Irwinville, Georgia, on May 10, and he was imprisoned for two years at Fort Monroe in Virginia. Indicted but never tried for treason, Davis was released on bond in May 1867. Davis...
Civil War: Biography: Jefferson Davis. American Battlefield Trust. Michael E. Woods, Arguing until Doomsday: Stephen Douglas, Jefferson Davis and the Struggle for American Democracy (University of North Carolina Press, 2020). Jefferson Davis (1808-1889). Encyclopedia Virginia.
Jefferson Davis: The Civil War in Four Minutes. Watch on. Bertram Hayes-Davis discusses the life of his great-great grandfather, Jefferson Davis. This video is part of the American Battlefield Trust's In4 video series, which presents short videos on basic Civil War topics.
Learn about the personal and political life of Jefferson Davis from his great-great-grandson Bertram Hayes-Davis. Overview of the life of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America (1861–65) during the American Civil War.
- 4 min
Apr 25, 2024 · Learn about the personal and political life of Jefferson Davis from his great-great-grandson Bertram Hayes-Davis. Overview of the life of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America (1861–65) during the American Civil War. (more) See all videos for this article.
