In an independent CSA, Robert E Lee is elected the 2nd President and like OTL dies on October 12, 1870 just two years into his term, who would he have chosen to be his Vice President and succeeds him after his death
I don't believe the Union's Ulysses S Grant had any political ambitions. He was nominated and accepted the nomination because he thought he could unite the country. Lee could be persuaded into running to stabilize the nation.He would never be elected becuse he had no intrest in running for any political position.
Fair point. I second longstreet thenI don't believe the Union's Ulysses S Grant had any political ambitions. He was nominated and accepted the nomination because he thought he could unite the country. Lee could be persuaded into running to stabilize the nation.
I don't believe the Union's Ulysses S Grant had any political ambitions. He was nominated and accepted the nomination because he thought he could unite the country. Lee could be persuaded into running to stabilize the nation.
I know it's not the theme of the discussion, but who would be his opponent? Wade Hampton III, perhaps?Lee would probably run if persuaded it was for the good of the country, but unlike most AH's it would probably not be a landslide. Confederate independence will probably require at least one more general who equals or exceeds Lee in skill, so I'd expect that other general to be nominated by a rival party. Lee running in 1867 is not a guarantee of unity. If Jefferson Davis endorses him, Lee will inherit the baggage of the ruined economy and the failure to control all slaveholding states. States Rights voters will see Lee as a successor of Davis' centralization. The Fire Eaters will loathe Lee for his support of arming slaves. Even some Centralists will oppose Lee if Davis endorses him. Rather than a second military man, I'd expect Lee's VP to be a career politician, a Centralist with no particular feud Jefferson Davis, who came from a populous state that wasn't Virginia. John Reagan of Texas and John Breckiridge of Kentucky will fail on the last point, so the most likely choices seem to be Wiley Harris of Mississippi, Thomas Bragg of North Carolina, and George Davis of North Carolina. Of them, in OTL, Bragg died January 21, 1872.
Early was also a Virginian, so I don't think he would make a good VP choice. A Georgian such as John B. Gordon or Ben Hill would probably be better.I could also see Jubal Early as Lee's veep, seeing as he was an OTL political figure. Even better, he wasn't exactly pro slavery if I remember him correctly
Early was also a Virginian, so I don't think he would make a good VP choice. A Georgian such as John B. Gordon or Ben Hill would probably be better.
I don't know of any CSA law that did that, it's more just an established practice in elections.That's an interesting point. Did the CSA have a rule that both members of the ticket could not come from the same state?
Article II of the Constitution (Both Confederate and United States) states that Electors could not cast votes for Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates from the same State.I don't know of any CSA law that did that, it's more just an established practice in elections.
Ah, thanks for catching that!Article II of the Constitution (Both Confederate and United States) states that Electors could not cast votes for Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates from the same State.
I know it's not the theme of the discussion, but who would be his opponent? Wade Hampton III, perhaps?
I would assume Lee with his experience from the war, much like George Washington as President, would see the benefits in centralization under the national government, to at least a moderate degree.
His VP candidate would come likely from one of Jefferson Davis's supporters. Maybe he could get Breckenridge to agree.
But wasn't he the candidate that most of the South voted for in the 1860 election?Breckenridge had one major flaw as a candidate. His home state of Kentucky was a Union state with very little chance of being part of the Confederacy and thus providing no voters for Confederate elections.