Jefferson Davis was born June 3, 1808 at Fairview, Kentucky. He moved to Woodville, Mississippi when a small child. He was educated at Jefferson College, Washington MS and at Transylvania College, Lexington KY. In 1824 he was appointed to the US Military Academy at West Point.
He graduated from USMA at the age of twenty and served in the Wisconsin and Arkansas Territories, Black Hawk War. In 1835 he married Sara Knox Taylor but she died three months later. In 1845 he married Varina Howell of Natchez. They settled on their plantation, Brierfield at Davis Bend.
In 1845 he was elected to the US House of Representatives from Miss. In 1846-47 he commanded the First Miss. Regiment at the Battles of Monterey and Buena Vista and was hailed a war hero in the Mexican War.He was elected to the US. Senate from Miss.
In 1853-57 he served as Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce and in 1857 he was again elected to the US Senate from Miss. He resigned his seat on January 21, 1861 after Miss. seceded from the Union. That same day, January 21, he was commissioned Major General of Miss troops by Gov. John J. Pettus and on February 9, 1861 he was elected President of the Confederate States of America Provisional Government.
Tomorrow I will tell you about the Davis family's sojourn in Montgomery as reported in the Montgomery Weekly Advertiser of 1861.
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