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The 'President of the Confederate States of America' was the Head of State of the Confederate States of America, which was formed from the states which declared their secession from the United States. The only person to hold the office was Jefferson Davis of Mississippi. He was President from February 18, 1861, to May 5, 1865, and his Vice President was Alexander Stephens. Howell Cobb, as president of the Provisional Confederate Congress, was the de facto head of the confederacy before the election of Davis, but he was not titled President of the Confederate States.

Contents

Office

Powers

Differences

See also

Office

According to the Confederate States Constitution, the President's office was almost entirely the same as that of the President of the United States. The President was to be:

★ chosen by an electoral college from each state in the Confederacy. Each state had as many electors as they had members in Congress (senators + representatives).

★ elected jointly with a Vice Presidential running mate (but the President and VP could not be citizens of the same state)

★ either a born citizen of the Confederacy or a born citizen of the United States born prior to December 20, 1860 and to have "been fourteen years a resident within the limits of the Confederate States, as they may exist at the time of his election."

★ at least thirty-five years of age

Powers

The President of the Confederacy held most of the same powers as the President of the United States. Though he could not directly propose legislation, he was given the power to nominate members of the Supreme Court of the Confederate States, ambassadors, cabinet members, and other executive officials to be approved by the Senate.
He was also Commander-in-Chief of the Confederate States Army and held veto power over legislation.
The President could be impeached by Congress for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

Differences

There were a few key differences between the Confederate President and the United States President:

★ Unlike the United States, which allowed for indefinite re-election (until the 1951) of both the President and Vice President after a four-year term, the Confederacy limited both offices to only one six-year term. After the war, this innovation gained considerable popularity in the re-constituted Union, most notably being endorsed by Rutherford B. Hayes in his inaugural address.

★ One unique power granted to the Confederate president was the ability to subject a bill to a line item veto, a power held by some state governors.

See also

★ Congress of the Confederate States