For the U.S. Representative from Illinois, see George R. Davis

George R. Davis

George Royal Davis was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.-Early life and education:Born in Palmer, Massachusetts, Davis completed classical studies at Williston Seminary, Easthampton, Massachusetts, and was graduated in 1860...

.

George Davis (March 1, 1820 – February 23, 1896) was a Confederate States of America

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 political figure and the last Confederate Attorney General

Attorney General

In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

, serving from 1864 to 1865.

He was not related to Confederate President Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...

.

Early life and career

Born near Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...

, Davis attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

, where he was valedictorian of the class of 1838. He subsequently studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1840. In 1848 he became general counsel of the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad. He held this position the rest of his life.

Political career

Davis was a delegate from North Carolina to the unsuccessful Washington Peace Conference

Peace conference of 1861

The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of more than 100 of the leading politicians of the antebellum United States held in Washington, D.C., in February 1861 that was meant to prevent what ultimately became the Civil War. The success of President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party in the...

 of February 4–27, 1861.

After secession

Davis was a delegate to the Provisional Confederate Congress

Provisional Confederate Congress

The Provisional Confederate Congress, for a time the legislative branch of the Confederate States of America, was the body which drafted the Confederate Constitution, elected Jefferson Davis President of the Confederacy, and designed the first Confederate flag...

 in 1861–1862, and was then elected to the Senate

Congress of the Confederate States

The Congress of the Confederate States was the legislative body of the Confederate States of America, existing during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865...

, where he served from 1862 to 1864. In December 1863, President Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...

 appointed him Attorney General

Confederate States Attorney General

The Attorney General of the Confederate States of America was a member of the Confederate cabinet. His duties were exactly the same as the duties of the United States Attorney General.-List:# Judah P. Benjamin # Wade Keyes...

. He served in this position from January 2, 1864 until April 24, 1865, in the last days of the Confederacy.

After the war

Davis was captured by U.S. forces at Key West

Key West

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....

, Florida on October 18, 1865, and was imprisoned at Fort Hamilton

Fort Hamilton

Historic Fort Hamilton is located in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and Bensonhurst, and is one of several posts that are part of the region which is headquartered by the Military District of Washington...

 in Brooklyn, N.Y. He spent several months at Fort Hamilton before being pardoned in 1866. He then returned to law practice in Wilmington.

Legacy

A statue of Davis also stands in Wilmington, North Carolina.

External links

• Short biography csawardept.com