Presidents of the Confederate States

im compiling a list of CS presidents, heres what ive got so far

The democrats are the more conservative, agrarian party, the Whigs the slightly less conservative party, more in favour of industrialisation

1861 - 1868: Jefferson Davis (Democrat)
1868 - 1870: Robert E. Lee (Whig)
1870 - 1874: John H. Reagan (Whig)
1874 - 1875: John C. Breckinridge (Democrat)
1875 - 1880: Isham G. Harris (Democrat)
1880 - 1886: James Longstreet (Whig)
1886 - 1916: undecided, but all Democrats
1916 - 1919: Woodrow Wilson (Whig)
1919 - 1922: William Gibbs McAdoo (Whig)
1922 - 1934: undecided, but all Democrats

after 1934 im ok, its just 1886 - 1916 and 1922-1934 I really need help with
 
Lee is highly unlikely as the second president of the CSA. He was not only disinterested in politics, but was tired after the war and would probably have just wanted to enjoy his retirement. Breckinridge is a far more likely candidate as Davis's immediate successor..
 
Lee is highly unlikely as the second president of the CSA. He was not only disinterested in politics, but was tired after the war and would probably have just wanted to enjoy his retirement. Breckinridge is a far more likely candidate as Davis's immediate successor..

I imagine he wouldn't have much more of a home to reture too: depending on the POD for a CSA survival, his estate at Arlington is looted, inside of the Union, or a giant graveyard for Union soldiers slain at Gettysburg. On that topic, within a decade or two of artillery advancement you could shell the Capitol from there.
 
im compiling a list of CS presidents, heres what ive got so far

The democrats are the more conservative, agrarian party, the Whigs the slightly less conservative party, more in favour of industrialisation

1861 - 1868: Jefferson Davis (Democrat)
1868 - 1870: Robert E. Lee (Whig)
1870 - 1874: John H. Reagan (Whig)
1874 - 1875: John C. Breckinridge (Democrat)
1875 - 1880: Isham G. Harris (Democrat)
1880 - 1886: James Longstreet (Whig)
1886 - 1916: undecided, but all Democrats
1916 - 1919: Woodrow Wilson (Whig)
1919 - 1922: William Gibbs McAdoo (Whig)
1922 - 1934: undecided, but all Democrats

after 1934 im ok, its just 1886 - 1916 and 1922-1934 I really need help with

Here's a few suggestions-

1886-1892: William Mahone: Former Confederate general, later a railroad baron.
1892-1898: Edward C. Walthall: IOTL, a Representative from Mississippi, and was himself a C.S. general.
1898-1904: Roger Q. Mills: a governor of Texas IOTL.
1904-1910: James K. Vardaman: One of the most hardcore reactionaries to come out of the state of Mississippi.
1910-1916: Benjamin Tillman: If the *Great War breaks out, and if you wanted to have the U.S. and C.S. duke it out ITTL, Tillman might be your man.
1922-1928: John Nance Garner: "Cactus Jack" might be one of the more moderate Democrats.
1928-1934: Ted Bilbo: Was just about as reactionary as Vardaman, but a much slicker operator, kinda like a modern day Ron Paul of a sort, in that regard.
 
I imagine he wouldn't have much more of a home to reture too: depending on the POD for a CSA survival, his estate at Arlington is looted, inside of the Union, or a giant graveyard for Union soldiers slain at Gettysburg. On that topic, within a decade or two of artillery advancement you could shell the Capitol from there.

No matter what the POD his mansion is sure to end up in Union hands, no way the Union would allow the victorious CSA to keep Fairfax county and quite a few of the others immediately bordering DC.

He would probably be rewarded with a choice tract of land and a plantation as befitting of his status as a national hero and given a comfortable retirement with the position of "General of the Armies of the Confederate States" as an honorary ranking and left be. His sons would carry his name and influence on however...
 
Last edited:
Lee is highly unlikely as the second president of the CSA. He was not only disinterested in politics, but was tired after the war and would probably have just wanted to enjoy his retirement. Breckinridge is a far more likely candidate as Davis's immediate successor..

all true, but you could have said most of the same about Eisenhower
remember in the 1860s the presidency of both the CS and US was not a particularly politically powerful post, especially in the CS where states rights was more prominent. Ive got Breckenridge down as founder of the Democratic party.

but I do take your point
 
Here's a few suggestions-

1886-1892: William Mahone: Former Confederate general, later a railroad baron.
1892-1898: Edward C. Walthall: IOTL, a Representative from Mississippi, and was himself a C.S. general.
1898-1904: Roger Q. Mills: a governor of Texas IOTL.
1904-1910: James K. Vardaman: One of the most hardcore reactionaries to come out of the state of Mississippi.
1910-1916: Benjamin Tillman: If the *Great War breaks out, and if you wanted to have the U.S. and C.S. duke it out ITTL, Tillman might be your man.
1922-1928: John Nance Garner: "Cactus Jack" might be one of the more moderate Democrats.
1928-1934: Ted Bilbo: Was just about as reactionary as Vardaman, but a much slicker operator, kinda like a modern day Ron Paul of a sort, in that regard.

I like Mahone, trouble is he just seems to radical, at least to be a democrat. If he did enter politics in the CS he would almost certainly be a Whig.

Walthall I like.

Vardaman and Tillman were foaming at the mouth white supremacists, but weren't really politically conservative, and in Tillmans case actually a populist reformer.

I definitely want to have Garner somewhere, either a president, vice president or speaker of the CS house
 
I like Mahone, trouble is he just seems to radical, at least to be a democrat. If he did enter politics in the CS he would almost certainly be a Whig.

Walthall I like.

You're probably right about Mahone, I suspect.

Vardaman and Tillman were foaming at the mouth white supremacists, but weren't really politically conservative, and in Tillmans case actually a populist reformer.

In all honesty, in regards to the populism, as much as Tillman liked to use such rhetoric, both of them were *quite* hardcore righties; certainly far to the right socially, and even Tillman was center-right economically(don't have the scoop on Vardaman, but we can probably assume a similar disposition); the thing is, Tillman, like other particularly savvy politicians, rode the waves in an era where the idea of populism was gaining widespread popularity.....but Tillman was never one to buck the system; indeed, he was part of the local political establishment from day one, unlike, say, Huey Long(who was a genuine reformist).

So that's why I picked him, as he could talk whatever talk he needed to win over squishy undecideds, but knowing that his conservative base would always be loyal to him.....

Of course, it's your TL, so it's up to you in the end.

I definitely want to have Garner somewhere, either a president, vice president or speaker of the CS house
 
Last edited:
One irate question...

rar.png
 
In all honesty, as much as Tillman liked to use such rhetoric, both of them were *quite* hardcore righties; certainly far to the right socially, and even Tillman was center-right economically(don't have the scoop on Vardaman, but we can probably assume a similar disposition); the thing is, Tillman, like other particularly savvy politicians, rode the waves in an era where the idea of populism was gaining widespread popularity.....but Tillman was never one to buck the system; indeed, he was part of the local political establishment from day one, unlike, say, Huey Long(who was a genuine reformist).

So that's why I picked him, as he could talk whatever talk he needed to win over squishy undecideds, but knowing that his conservative base would always be loyal to him.....

Of course, it's your TL, so it's up to you in the end.

You do have a good point, and ill defiantly have Tillman feature heavily in confederate politics, but probably as a senior senator rather than president

are there any civil war veterans that would likely enter politics at that point? I was thinking of Johnston, but he would really be a little too old to run in 1885, and Bearegard would almost certainly be a whig
 
all true, but you could have said most of the same about Eisenhower
remember in the 1860s the presidency of both the CS and US was not a particularly politically powerful post, especially in the CS where states rights was more prominent. Ive got Breckenridge down as founder of the Democratic party.

but I do take your point

Well it's not really about power, it's just fairly unlikely a man who held a life long aversion to politics would then seek to place himself right in the middle of it. Granted he might accept a position as Vice President in a soldiers cabinet, it's just unlikely he'd want to deal with petty politics.
 
Well it's not really about power, it's just fairly unlikely a man who held a life long aversion to politics would then seek to place himself right in the middle of it. Granted he might accept a position as Vice President in a soldiers cabinet, it's just unlikely he'd want to deal with petty politics.

you could say most of the same about Eisenhower

ive got Lee down as a armchair president, with vice president John Reagan pulling most of the strings
 
you could say most of the same about Eisenhower

ive got Lee down as a armchair president, with vice president John Reagan pulling most of the strings

dont forget the confederacy (as one of the posters above noted) had a 6 year term of office for president.
 
you could say most of the same about Eisenhower

Technically you could say that about any general who entered the Presidency, problem is that Eisenhower knew how to play politics, given that he had to play it in the army - especially when he led a coalition of armies against the Nazi's - in WW2.
 
Technically you could say that about any general who entered the Presidency, problem is that Eisenhower knew how to play politics, given that he had to play it in the army - especially when he led a coalition of armies against the Nazi's - in WW2.

indeed, you don't become a general without having some kind of political instincts. Lee, for whatever his personal dislike of politicians, had political instincts, indeed, he might have even entered post-bellum confederate politics as the only alternative to a true politician like Breckinridge.
 
Top