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Jefferson Davis Facts

Jefferson Davis Facts
Jefferson Davis was as an American politician most well-known for serving as President during the American Civil War for the Confederate States of America. He was born Jefferson Finis Davis on 3, 1808, in Fairview, Kentucky, to Samuel Davis, and Jane Cook. He was the youngest of ten children, and named after Thomas Jefferson because his father admired him greatly. When Jefferson was two years old his family moved to Mississippi. In his teens, Jefferson attended Transylvania University to become a lawyer and was then accepted to West Point Military Academy. His military career led him to a political career and his eventual position as President of the Confederate States of America.
Interesting Jefferson Davis Facts:
Jefferson Davis was named after Thomas Jefferson. His middle name 'Finis' was chosen because his parents expected that he would be their last child. 'Finis' is Latin for 'final'.
Abraham Lincoln was born only 100 miles from where Jefferson Davis had been born. Abraham was born about eight months after Jefferson.
Jefferson Davis' father died when Jefferson was 16 and attending Transylvania University.
In 1826, while attending the United States Military Academy Jefferson Davis was involved in smuggling large quantities of whiskey into the school to make eggnog. He was placed under house arrest but was not court-martialed. The incident became known as the Eggnog Riot.
In 1835 Jefferson Davis fell in love with Sarah Knox Taylor and the two were married against her father's wishes. She died after only a few months from malaria. Her father Zachary Taylor would become president.
Jefferson Davis married Varina Banks Howell in 1845.
Jefferson Davis spent several years working on his plantation before entering politics. He was elected to the U.S. House of representatives in 1845.
Jefferson Davis became well known for his ability to give powerful speeches.
In 1846 the Mexican-American War began and Jefferson resigned his seat in Congress to re-join the military.
Jefferson Davis served in the Senate from 1847 to 1851.
In 1853 Jefferson Davis was appointed by President Franklin Pierce to serve as the U.S. Secretary of War.
Pierce lost the re-election and Jefferson Davis returned to an elected Senate seat in 1857.
Mississippi seceded from the Union in 1861, and Jefferson Davis resigned from his Senate seat.
In 1861 Jefferson Davis was voted in as the President of the Confederate States of America, despite his personal views against secession.
In 1965 Jefferson Davis was captured by Union forces and spent two years in prison. He was accused of treason but was never put on trial and was released in 1867 on $100,000 bail.
Following his release Jefferson Davis was invited by novelist Sarah Dorsey to live at her estate in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Jefferson Davis lived at Sarah Dorsey's estate with his wife Varina until his death in 1889.
Jefferson Davis wrote the book The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government in 1881. He wrote his memoir A Short History of the Confederate States of America in 1889.
Jefferson Davis died on December 6th, 1889, of acute bronchitis, at the age of 81.


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