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Editor says, Jefferson Davis against all odds wins the Democratic nomination for president in 1852 and wins the general election subsequently becoming the 14th president of the United States of America. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1852, on this day Jefferson Davis (pictured), a relatively unknown politician from Mississippi declares his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America.
President Jeff Davis
March 4th 1853-March 4th 1861July:
Democrats anticipating a loss in the general election and have no consensus on who their candidate should be. The five major candidates end up being Jefferson Davis,Lewis Cass, James Buchanan, William Marcy, and Stephen Douglas. All have some support. Throughout the balloting, numerous favorite son candidates receive a few votes. On the 49th ballot the convention finally nominates, as a compromise candidate, the virtually unknown Jefferson Davis of Mississippi. Even though Davis has little experience. Senator Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire is tapped for Vice President.
A new article from Althistory WikiaSeptember:
The Whigs' platform is almost indistinguishable from that of the Democrats, reducing the campaign to a contest between the personalities of the two candidates. The lack of clear-cut issues between the two parties helps drive voter turnout down to its lowest level since 1836. The decline is further exacerbated by Scott's anti-slavery reputation, which decimates the Southern Whig vote at the same time as the pro-slavery Whig platform undermines the Northern Whig vote. Finally, Scott's status as a war hero is somewhat offset by the fact that Davis was himself a Mexican-American War Hero.
October:
Shortly before the election Union party candidate Daniel Webster dies, causing many Union state parties to remove their slates of electors. The Union ticket does appear on the ballot in Georgia and Massachusetts however.
November:
When America goes to the polls Davis wins in a landslide, Scott wins only the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
March 4, 1853:
Jefferson Davis is sworn in as the 14th president of the United States of America.Davis hails an era of peace and prosperity at home and urges a vigorous assertion of US interests in its foreign relations. "The policy of my Administration," said the new president "is to solve the domestic problems of our nation at home and protect our interests abroad".
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Althistory Wikia Labels: Civil War, Jefferson Davis, America, Presidency, Election.
~ Should be "and protect our interests abroad", I think.
A Davis presidency would certainly upend the politics of the 1850s. It would give him, and the pro-slavery cause with which he sympathized, a tremendous edge politically, in the short term at least. But it would likely have polarized the country even worse than it was in our hstory, perhaps to the point where something like our 1860 election would happen in 1856--followed by an earlier Civil War, perhaps with John C. Fremont as U.S. President.
~ Davis was disastrous as POTCSA because he was utterly rigid---honest as the day was long, but they said "he'd rather win an argument than win the war." I don't know how he'd have done as a peacetime POTUSA, but there'd be endless fireworks. The man literally could not grok "compromise."
~ I have trouble imagining Davis being elected. Democrats elected pro-southern northerners not southerners.
Comment from Bob Hufford on Facebook: Remember, Jeff was AGAINST secession until events overtook him and the country. Bob Toombs of GA was the first choice for Confederate President, but when a delegation went to offer him the job they found him drunk; he was brilliant, but simply could not be trusted to stay sober. Jeff as US President MIGHT have avoided the whole mess, but might also have precipitated it earlier. Interesting speculation. Jeff Davis had his faults, as any Confederate historian knows all too well, but he had a strength of character that few understood.
~ One way or the other, Davis would prove an effective administrator and put forward quite a few innovations. The camel corps patrolling the Southwest might've stayed.
Comment from William Jalet on Facebook: he was a brilliant person, much smarter than the rest
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
