Jefferson Davis

1808 – 1889

Jefferson F. Davis was the only president of the Confederate States of America, serving from 1861 until the collapse of the Confederacy in 1865 in defense of the institution of slavery. A former U.S. senator from Mississippi and U.S. Secretary of War, he was a lifelong slaveholder whose Brierfield plantation enslaved more than 100 people. Captured by Union forces in May 1865, he was indicted for treason, imprisoned for two years at Fort Monroe, and ultimately released without trial; the U.S. government never re-extended him a pardon, and Mississippi schoolchildren continue to pass roadside markers honoring him.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM