Jefferson Davis Quick Facts

Name Meaning

Jefferson Davis was named after Thomas Jefferson. The surname means “son of Jeffrey.”

Vital Stats

Birthday: June 3, 1808
Birth Name: Jefferson Finis Davis
Birthplace: Christian County (now Todd), KY
Date of Death: December 5, 1889
Cause: malaria complicated by acute brochitis
(unconfirmed)
Place of Death: New Orleans, LA.
Height: 5′ 11-1/2″
Nationality: American
Occupation before Civil War: Secretary of War (Franklin Pierce), U.S. Senator (MS.)
Occupation during Civil War: President of the Confederate States of America
Later Occupation: Author

Relatives

Father: Samuel Emory Davis (Welsh descent)
(1756-1824)
Mother: Jane Cook Davis (Scottish descent)
(c.1760-1845)
Brother:  Joseph Emory Davis (1784-1870)
Brother: Benjamin Davis (1787/88-1827)
Brother: Samuel A. Davis (1788/9-1831?)
Sister: Anna Eliza Davis (1791-1870)
Brother: Isaac Williams Davis (1792-1833/4)
Sister: Lucinda Farrar Davis (1797-1873)
Sister: Amanda Jane Davis (1800-1881)
Sister: Matilda Davis (1801-?)
Sister: Mary Ellen Davis (1805/6-1824)

Romance

Courtship: Mary Dodge, 1832
Married: Sarah Knox Taylor, 1835
Married: Varina Banks Howell, 1845
(12/13/1818-7/16/1881)

Children

Son: Samuel Emory (1852-1854)
Daughter: Margaret “Maggie” Howell (1855-1909)
Son: Jefferson Junior (1857-1878)
Joseph Evan (1859-1864)
William Howell (1861-1872)
Varina “Winnie” Anne (1864-1898)

Resources

Jefferson Davis, American by William J. Cooper
Jefferson Davis: The Man and His Hour by William C. Davis