Alexander Stephens

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Alexander Stephens -1855.jpg
Alexander H. Stephens
Personal
Date & Place of Birth February 11, 1812
Taliaferro County
Parents Andrew B. Stephens
Margaret Grier Stephens
Religion Presbyterian
Education Franklin College
Previous occupation Lawyer
Spouse none
Children none
Date & Place of Death March 4, 1883
Atlanta, Georgia
Place of Burial Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta; moved to estate Liberty Hall near Crawfordville
Vice-Presidency
Term of Office February 11, 1861 – May 11, 1865
Political Party Whig, Constitutional, Democratic
Preceeded by office instituted
Succeeded by office abolished after defeat of the Confederates
President {{{President}}}
Post Vice-Presidency
Later career Congressman
Governor of Georgia
Writings A Constitutional View of the Late War Between the States (1867–70, 2 vol.)
History of the United States (1871 and 1883)


Alexander Stephens (February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883) was an American politician from Georgia and the first and only vice-president of the Confederate States of America. He also served as a Congressman from Georgia and as the fiftieth Governor of Georgia from 1882 until his death in 1883.

Contents

Full Biography

Early Life and Career

Stephens was born near Crawfordville, in Taliaferro County, in Georgia, on February 11, 1812, to Margaret Grier and Andrew Baskins. At age fourteen, he was orphaned. He graduated from Franklin College (which later became the University of Georgia) in 1832 and was admitted to the bar two years later. He was elected as a Whig to the state Congress of Georgia in 1836, where he served for seven years; he served in the State House from 1837 to 1841 and the State Senate from 1842 to 1843. He made a lifelong friend out of Robert Toombs. In 1843, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives and remained there until 1859. He was a strong supporter of slavery, he supported the annexation of Texas, and supported the Compromise of 1850 being passed. Stephen and Toombs seized leadership of the state party and they worked to get the Kansas-Nebraska Act passed, and they resisted secession before the election of President Abraham Lincoln. However, unlike Toombs, Stephens opposed secession until it became a fait accompli in 1861.

Confederate Vice-President

Stephens served as the Vice-President of the Confederate States under President Jefferson Davis. According to the Constitution of the Confederate States of America, the office of Vice-President of the Confederate States of America is nearly identical to the office of Vice-President of the United States of America. During his tenure, Stephens grew increasingly distant from President Davis and tried unsuccessfully many times to keep diplomatic ties to the U.S.

References

Chad Morgan "Alexander Stephens (1812-1883)" New Georgia Encyclopedia

Related Pages

On the Web

Modern History Sourcebook: Alexander H. Stephens (1812-1883): Cornerstone Address, March 21, 1861

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