The Confederacy wo Jeff Davis?

EMTSATX

Banned
So assume Jefferson Finis Davis dies when his first wife does.

I personally like the idea of John C. Breckenridge. However, who are your favorite contenders to the throne?

How does it change the war?
 
I would say Alexander Stephens comes to mind. But as a nominally pro-Union Southern Whig (a Democrat later in his career, sure, but pro-Union like any other Whig), the secessionists might not line up behind him ITTL.

Breckenridge is not a bad choice. I also have to wonder about Robert Toombs.
 
Depends on the time period.

Pre civil war, I can see some influential southern politician that can attract a following trying to do a similar thing. The CSA might not be as large, however. No matter your views, you have to admit that Jefferson Davis was able to herd the pack of cats that was the splintered collection of southern states while keeping the CSA at least marginally in tact until the end. Another politician might not be able to do the same.

During the civil war... the CSA is done. Probably a South Carolinian takes over and everything goes downhill FAST. I know that Georgia was already having serious problems with the Confederacy; I could see if a South Carolinian candidate tries to centralize the Confederacy, Georgia, and possibly Texas, North Carolina, or even Virginia might try to either go it alone or make a separate peace with America.
 

EMTSATX

Banned
Depends on the time period.

Pre civil war, I can see some influential southern politician that can attract a following trying to do a similar thing. The CSA might not be as large, however. No matter your views, you have to admit that Jefferson Davis was able to herd the pack of cats that was the splintered collection of southern states while keeping the CSA at least marginally in tact until the end. Another politician might not be able to do the same.

During the civil war... the CSA is done. Probably a South Carolinian takes over and everything goes downhill FAST. I know that Georgia was already having serious problems with the Confederacy; I could see if a South Carolinian candidate tries to centralize the Confederacy, Georgia, and possibly Texas, North Carolina, or even Virginia might try to either go it alone or make a separate peace with America.

I can see Henry Wise.
 
Breckenridge: Kentuckian and therefore suspect.

Benjamin: Jewish and therefore suspect.

But for these circumstances they would be great Confederate Presidents. Breckenridge's actions as Secretary of War are perhaps the most admirable of any Confederate official (essentially making sure guerilla war did not break out).

That said, I agree with Lee when he said nobody could have done a better job then Davis who were viable candidates for the job.

These two were not viable candidates.
 
Davis had a longstanding beef with Winfield Scott from the Mexican War; if someone else took the reins, you might have seen his golden boy Lee become General-in-Chief much sooner. Would be hard to say how it would have affected the war in any detail, though one would expect him to get the Army of Northern Virginia into top shape faster than it took OTL.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
The Confederacy was organized in February of 1861, more than half a year before Breckinridge threw in his lot with the Confederacy. The only way you'd see him as President of the Confederacy is if a major POD had caused all the border states to secede at the same time as the Deep South states (perhaps Chase got the Republican nomination?). I have always thought, though, that if Breckinridge had been made Secretary of War in 1862 rather than 1865, the Confederacy's odds of victory would have been significantly better.

Benjamin is a non-starter. The Confederacy would not go for having a Jewish president.

Robert Toombs is the most likely contender. Indeed, had it not been for a bad drinking bout in a hotel lobby during the Montgomery Convention, he might have ended up as President instead of Davis (which will be a minor plot point in House of the Proud). Toombs's weaknesses extended beyond his drinking, however, in that he tended to put ideology before pragmatism. On the other hand, he had an extremely solid grasp of fiscal policy, which would have served the Confederacy very well, as its own disastrous fiscal policy IOTL was a major contributing factor to its eventual defeat.

Robert Hunter of Virginia would be an interesting choice. He was one of the most prominent prewar politicians who joined the Confederacy and had been a highly effective legislator, but was quickly overshadowed by Davis once the war got going.
 
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