Alexander H. Stephens
A slight, sickly man whose fiery defense of slavery and the Confederacy made him a lasting symbol of the South's 'Lost Cause'.
1812–1883 (age 71)·Vice President of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865·Birthday: February 11
Biography
Alexander Stephens was a paradox of physical frailty and political ferocity. Born into poverty in Georgia, he became a successful lawyer and a skilled, if often contradictory, political operator in the U.S. House of Representatives. Though he initially opposed immediate secession, his loyalty to Georgia and his core belief in white supremacy and states' rights led him to accept the vice presidency of the Confederacy. His infamous 'Cornerstone Speech' explicitly framed the new nation as founded upon the 'great truth' of black subordination. After the war, he was briefly imprisoned, then returned to Congress, a living reminder of the unresolved tensions of Reconstruction, and served as Georgia's governor until his death, his career a long arc through the defining crisis of the American union.
#1 When Alexander Was Born
The biggest hits of 1812
Alexander's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1812Born
1817Started school
1825Became a teenager
1828Could drive
1830Could vote
1833Turned 21
1842Turned 30
1852Turned 40
1862Turned 50
President: Abraham Lincoln
1872Turned 60
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1882Turned 70
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
1883Died at 71
President: Chester A. Arthur
Key Achievements
- Served as the sole Vice President of the Confederate States of America throughout the Civil War.
- Delivered the 'Cornerstone Speech' in 1861, declaring slavery the natural condition of Black people and the foundation of the Confederacy.
- Represented Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives both before the Civil War and after Reconstruction.
- Elected as the 50th Governor of Georgia in 1882, serving until his death in 1883.
Did You Know?
He was nicknamed 'Little Ellick' due to his chronically ill health and small stature; he weighed less than 100 pounds for much of his life.
He owned a personal enslaved servant named Harry, who remained with him during his imprisonment after the Civil War.
His home, Liberty Hall, in Crawfordville, Georgia, is preserved as a state historic site.
“Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery—subordination to the superior race—is his natural and normal condition.”
