Jefferson+Davis

=__Jefferson Davis__=

toc Jefferson Davis was born July 3, 1808 in Kentucky. He married Sarah Know Taylor on June 17, 1835. Davis went to Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky and was a West Point Academy graduate. He was also a U.S. Senator representing the southern democrats, and a Congressman. Davis was famous for being the President of the Confederate States of America.

Early Life
Jefferson Davis was the youngest of ten siblings. His parents were Samuel Emory Davis and Jane Cook. During Davis' childhood, his family moved twice. In 1811 they moved to St. Mary Parish, Louisiana and in 1812 to Mississippi Wilkinson County, Mississippi. Three of his older brothers served in the War of 1812. He began his education in a log cabin a mile a way from his house in Woodville. Two years later he attended Catholic school of Saint Thomas at St. Rose Priory in Washington County, Kentucky. Then he went on to attend Jefferson and Transylvania college in Mississippi and Kentucky. In 1824 he entered West Point. He finished his four years there and became a second lieutenant in June of 1828. Davis was then assigned to the 1st Infantry Regiment and was stationed at Fort Crawford, Wisconsin. His mission was to supervise the cutting of limber near the banks of the Red Cedar River. This was his early life and the foundation he used to become a superior leader later on in his life.

Political Career[[image:http://www.digischool.nl/kleioscoop/Davis%20Jefferson.jpg width="243" height="305" align="right" caption="Jefferson Davis photo"]]
Davis had a very active political life. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1845, but then he resigned in June of 1846 and became a colonel in the Mexican War commanding a Mississippi regiment. Davis was appointed in 1847 as a U.S. Senator from Mississippi for an unexpired term. In 1851, he resigned to run for Governor of Mississippi. He ran against his senatorial colleague, Henry S. Foote. Davis lost by less than a thousand votes and then retired to his plantation. Then in 1853, he was made Secretary of War by Franklin Pierce. Davis used his power to oppose the views of his northern democratic colleague, William L. Marcy who was Secretary of State. Davis favored the purchase of Cuba and he also promoted a southern route for a transcontinental railroad, therefore favoring the Gadsden Purchase. Davis became the leader of the Southern bloc when he reentered the Senate in 1857. Davis served in many varied aspects of southern politics.

President of the Confederacy
On February 18, 1861, the congress of the Confederate States made him provisional President. After almost a year of serving as temporary president, he then was elected for a six year term and inaugurated on February 22, 1862, in Richmond, Virginia. This was the capital of the Confederacy at the time. During the war, Davis had trouble with raising sufficient money to fight the Civil War. He also had a constant issue with exponents of the doctrines of states' rights. This meant he disagreed with some of the rules and rights in some of the states. Davis realized that the Confederate war effort needed a strong, concentrated rule under one authority. This got in the way with the states' rights policy. As Davis gained more and more power, many of the Southern leaders lost respect from him and combined an anti-Davis party. The last Confederate cabinet meeting during his term was held in April of 1865 at Charlotte, N.C.

Davis' Personality as a Leader
Davis was known for wasting far too much time on unimportant details. From the time when he was a young boy to an adult, he was always an extremely hard worker. He could be very stubborn also and his feelings were easily hurt by criticism. He never got on well with people though and didn't give inspiring speeches which was usually an important asset to have if you're a major public figure like he was. Davis argued a lot with the members of his cabinet and other government officials. One time, he spent a whole day pondering over a four thousand word letter. Overall, Davis was a difficult person who did not possess a lot of leadership qualities but accomplished much through hard work.

After Life
Both Lee's and Johnson's armies were defeated and surrendered. This dissolved the Confederate States. Davis was made a captive by the military because he failed to rally the south which contributed to the Confederate defeat. He was involved in many disagreements with the Confederate generals. Many arguments over his policies raged long after the Confederacy was dead. After the last Confederate cabinet meeting was held in 1865 at Charlotte, N.C., Davis was captured at Irwinville, Ga. He was confined in Fortress Monroe, Virginia for two years and was released in May of 1867 on bail. Davis had a reception at Richmond, Virginia, and then visited Europe. In 1881, he wrote __"The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government"__. Jefferson Davis died at one o'clock a.m., December 5, 1889. He was temporarily buried in New Orleans, but his body was moved to Richmond, Va. in 1893. Davis lived an important life and will always be remembered as a major figure in U.S history.

Resources
1. Garraty, John A. "The Story of America." Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1994 2. "Jefferson Davis". __www.infoplease.com__. 2008. 22 October 2008. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0857694.html 3. "Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America". __www.civilwarhome.com.__ 24 October 2008. http://www.civilwarhome.com/jdavisbio.htm