Alexander Hamilton Stephens bio

Answer 1

Alexander Hamilton Stephens was an American politician from Georgia and Vice President of the Confederate States of America through the Civil War. He served as U.S. Representative as a Whig, from Georgia, before and after the Civil War and, he served as Governor of Georgia from 1882 until his death in 1883. Earlier bio... Born February 11, 1812 on a farm near Crawfordville, Taliaferro County, Georgia to father Andrew B. and mother Margaret Grier Stephens. Stephens grew up poor but he got his education paid through several people, one also being his mentor, a Presbyterian minister named Alexander Hamilton Webster and Stephens took his name Hamilton, as his own (Stephens was not named after Alexander Hamilton). He attended what became University of Georgia and graduated top of his class. He taught school but it wasn't where his heart was, so he became a lawyer. He was a great defender and none of his clients charged with capital crime received the death penalty. One important case was of a slave woman accused of attempted murder. Stephens volunteered to defend this woman, even though the evidence was against her, Stephens got the jury to acquit the woman, saving her life. More interesting facts... Even though Stephens looked frail, weighing only 96 pounds because of suffering from illness and disease throughout his life, he still had a strong and stern voice. At the start of the Civil War, northern newspaper described him as "the Strongest Man in the South". Stephens and Confererate President Davis did not agree on many issues. Stephens wanted peace more than war. Stephens was one of the three Confederate commissioners who met with President Lincoln on the steamer River Queen at Hampton Roads Conference, in an effort to bring an end to the Cilvil War. Even though by the time of the Civil War, Stephens own 34 slaves and several thousands of acres but, Stephens was still considered generous by many and he personally paid for the education of over a hundred students black, white, male and female. His charity left him near penniless when he died in March 4th, 1983