Judah P. Benjamin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Judah Phillip Benjamin
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Benjamin, c. 1856
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| 3rd Confederate States Secretary of State | |
| In office March 18, 1862 – May 10, 1865 |
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| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | William Browne (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| 2nd Confederate States Secretary of War | |
| In office September 17, 1861 – March 24, 1862 |
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| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | LeRoy Walker |
| Succeeded by | George Randolph |
| 1st Confederate States Attorney General | |
| In office February 25, 1861 – November 15, 1861 |
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| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Wade Keyes (acting) |
| United States Senator from Louisiana |
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| In office March 4, 1853 – February 4, 1861 |
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| Preceded by | Solomon Downs |
| Succeeded by | John Harris (1868) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Judah Phillip Benjamin
August 6, 1811 Christiansted, Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands) |
| Died | May 6, 1884 (aged 72) Paris, Seine, France |
| Resting place | Père Lachaise Cemetery |
| Political party | Whig (before 1856) Democratic (from 1856) |
| Spouse |
Natalie Bauché de St. Martin
(m. 1833–1884) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Yale University |
| Signature |  |
Judah Philip Benjamin, a QC (born August 6, 1811 – died May 6, 1884), was an important figure in American history. He served as a United States senator for Louisiana. Later, he became a high-ranking official in the Cabinet of the Confederate States during the American Civil War. After the war, he escaped to the United Kingdom and became a successful lawyer there.
Benjamin was the first Jewish person to hold a Cabinet position in North America. He was also the first Jewish person elected to the United States Senate who openly kept his faith.
He was born to Jewish parents from London who had moved to St. Croix. This island was then part of the Danish West Indies. His family later moved to the United States, settling in Charleston, South Carolina. Judah Benjamin went to Yale College but left before finishing his degree. He then moved to New Orleans and became a lawyer.
Benjamin quickly became successful in law and politics. He became a wealthy planter and owned enslaved people. He served in the Louisiana state legislature before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1852. In the Senate, he strongly supported the practice of slavery.
When Louisiana left the Union in 1861, Benjamin resigned from the Senate. He soon moved to Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy. Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed him as Attorney General. Benjamin didn't have many duties in this role. However, Davis was impressed by his skills.
Davis then appointed Benjamin as Secretary of War. Benjamin was a strong supporter of Davis. The President showed his loyalty by promoting him to Secretary of State in March 1862. This happened even though Benjamin was being criticized for a Confederate defeat at the Battle of Roanoke Island.
As Secretary of State, Benjamin tried to get France and the United Kingdom to officially recognize the Confederacy. But his efforts did not succeed. To save the Confederacy as it faced more military defeats, he suggested freeing and arming enslaved people. This idea was only partly accepted very late in the war.
When Davis fled Richmond in early 1865, Benjamin went with him. Benjamin later left the presidential group and successfully escaped from the United States. Davis, however, was captured by Union troops. Benjamin sailed to Great Britain, where he became a lawyer. He again rose to the top of his profession before retiring in 1883. He died in Paris the next year.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Judah Philip Benjamin was born on August 6, 1811, on the island of St. Croix. This island was part of the Danish West Indies. At the time, the British occupied it during the Napoleonic Wars. His parents, Philip and Rebecca Benjamin, were Jewish and had married in London. They moved to the West Indies looking for better opportunities.
Judah was the third of seven children. His family faced financial difficulties in the Danish West Indies. In 1813, they moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where they had relatives. Around 1821, the family moved to Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston had the largest Jewish community in the United States and was known for religious tolerance.
Judah was a very intelligent boy. At age 14, in 1825, he entered Yale College. He was a successful student but left in 1827 without finishing his studies. The exact reasons for his leaving are not clear.
After a short time back in Charleston, Benjamin moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. He arrived in 1828 with few belongings. He had only his sharp mind, charm, and energy. He worked as a clerk for a law firm and began to study law. Knowing French was important for practicing law in Louisiana. The state's laws were based on French and Spanish law. To earn money, he taught English to French-speaking people. In late 1832, at age 21, he became a lawyer.
In early 1833, Benjamin married Natalie Bauché de St. Martin. She was Catholic and from a wealthy French family. The marriage was not very successful. By the 1840s, Natalie and their only child, Ninette, lived in Paris. Benjamin would visit them every year.
Legal Career in Louisiana
Within months of becoming a lawyer, Benjamin won his first case before the Supreme Court of Louisiana. In his early years, he didn't have many clients. This gave him time to write a book with Thomas Slidell. It was called Digest of the Reported Decisions of the Superior Court of the Late Territory of Orleans and the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana (1834). This book analyzed 6,000 cases and was a big success. It helped start Benjamin's career.
Benjamin became an expert in commercial law. New Orleans was a busy port, a center for international trade and the domestic slave trade. By 1840, the city was one of the largest and wealthiest in the U.S. Benjamin successfully competed with many top lawyers there. He preferred trials decided by judges rather than juries. He was also very good at appeals.
In 1842, Benjamin handled cases with international importance. He represented insurance companies. They were sued over the value of enslaved people who had revolted on the ship Creole in 1841. The enslaved people were being moved from Virginia to New Orleans. The rebels sailed the ship to Nassau in the Bahamas, a British colony. There, those who came ashore were freed because Britain had abolished slavery. Benjamin argued that the slave owners had caused the revolt by overcrowding the ship. The court ruled in favor of Benjamin's clients.
Political Life
State Politics
Benjamin supported the Whig Party from its start in the 1830s. In 1842, he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives. In 1844, he was chosen as a delegate for a state constitutional convention. At the convention, Benjamin successfully argued against counting enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for state elections. This was different from how they were counted for federal elections. His position won, and enslaved people were not counted at all for Louisiana state elections.
By the early 1840s, Benjamin was rich from his law practice. He bought a sugar cane plantation called Bellechasse with a partner. Owning land and enslaved people was important for political success in Louisiana. Benjamin worked hard to improve Bellechasse. He bought 140 enslaved people to work on the plantation.
In the late 1840s, Benjamin spent less time in politics. He focused on his plantation and law practice. In 1848, he voted for General Zachary Taylor for U.S. President. In 1850, President Millard Fillmore offered Benjamin a judge position in California. Benjamin declined because the salary was too low.
Railroad Project
Benjamin was interested in improving trade between New Orleans and California. He supported a project to build a railroad across Mexico. This railroad would make travel and shipping faster. He worked to get funds from bankers and helped organize construction crews. The project faced many problems and delays. It eventually stopped after the American Civil War began in 1861.
Becoming a U.S. Senator
In October 1851, the Whigs nominated Benjamin for the state Senate. He was easily elected. In January 1852, Benjamin became a leading candidate for a U.S. Senate seat. At that time, state legislatures elected U.S. senators. Benjamin was elected by the Louisiana legislature.
President Fillmore offered to nominate Benjamin for a Supreme Court vacancy. The new president, Franklin Pierce, also offered him a Supreme Court position. Benjamin likely declined these offers because he preferred politics. He could also keep his law practice and income as a senator. As a lawyer before the U.S. Supreme Court, Benjamin won 13 of his first 18 cases.
Judah Benjamin became a senator from Louisiana on March 4, 1853. When the Senate was not in session, he stayed in Washington, D.C. He continued his law practice, arguing many cases before the Supreme Court. Around this time, Benjamin sold his share in the Bellechasse plantation.
Speaking for Slavery
Benjamin believed that slavery should continue. He argued that citizens had a right to their property, which the Constitution protected. He did not use arguments that enslaved people were inferior. He believed that African Americans were not ready for freedom. Many white Southerners feared that freeing enslaved people would lead to violence.
In early 1854, Senator Stephen A. Douglas introduced the Kansas–Nebraska Act. This bill allowed people in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide if they would be slave or free states. Benjamin supported this change. He said it returned to the idea that the federal government should not make laws about slavery. The bill passed, but it caused big problems between the North and South.
The Whig Party split apart over the issue of slavery. Many Northern Whigs joined the new Republican Party. This party promised to stop the spread of slavery. Benjamin continued with the Whig Party until 1856. Then, he joined the Democrats. He said they followed the old Whig principles.
Benjamin believed that states could leave the Union. However, he also understood that any split would not be peaceful. In 1859, Benjamin was elected to a second term as senator.
Secession Crisis
Benjamin worked to prevent Douglas from getting the 1860 Democratic presidential nomination. He felt Douglas had turned against the South. Benjamin praised Abraham Lincoln, Douglas's opponent, for being true to his anti-slavery principles. Benjamin and Senator Jefferson Davis were successful in opposing Douglas. The 1860 Democratic convention split into Northern and Southern groups.
By the time Benjamin returned east, Lincoln had been elected president. Many in Louisiana and other Southern states talked about leaving the Union. Benjamin initially favored secession only as a last resort. However, by December 1860, he believed the North was hostile to the South. He urged Southern states to form their own confederation.
Benjamin gave a farewell speech in the Senate on December 31, 1860. Many historians consider it one of the great speeches in American history. He and his Louisiana colleague, John Slidell, resigned from the Senate on February 4, 1861. This was nine days after Louisiana declared its secession.
Confederate Leader
Attorney General
After leaving the Senate, Benjamin quickly went to New Orleans. On February 25, 1861, President Davis appointed Benjamin as Attorney General. The provisional Congress approved him right away. Davis became the first leader in North America to appoint a Jewish person to his Cabinet.
Davis chose Benjamin because he was a highly respected lawyer. He was impressed by Benjamin's clear thinking and hard work. The role of Attorney General was very small at this time. The Confederacy did not yet have federal courts.
Benjamin served as a host for visitors and dignitaries. He advised Davis to buy cotton and ship it to the United Kingdom. The money from selling the cotton could then be used to buy weapons. However, his advice was not taken. The Cabinet believed the war would be short.
When Virginia joined the Confederacy, the capital moved to Richmond. Benjamin traveled there. In September, the Secretary of War, Leroy Walker, resigned. Davis appointed Benjamin in his place. Benjamin continued to act as Attorney General until November 15, 1861.
Secretary of War
As Secretary of War, Benjamin was in charge of the Confederate Army. He had to feed, supply, and arm the troops in a new country with few factories. He saw his job as connected to foreign affairs. The Confederacy needed imports to supply its soldiers.
Davis and Benjamin worked closely together. Davis came to trust Benjamin completely. Benjamin faced many challenges. The Confederacy lacked enough soldiers, trained officers, ships, and factories to make weapons. The Union had these things and blocked the South's access to European supplies.
Benjamin had no military experience. This made it hard for him to disagree with Davis. In January 1862, Confederate forces under Stonewall Jackson advanced in western Virginia. Some troops were left in Romney, far from Jackson's main forces. They were also poorly supplied. Benjamin, after talking with Davis, ordered them to be recalled. Jackson followed the order but asked to be removed from the front. High-ranking Confederates convinced Jackson to withdraw his request.
State governments also caused problems for Benjamin. Governors like Joseph E. Brown of Georgia and Henry T. Clark of North Carolina demanded troops and arms for their states. After Cape Hatteras was captured, Confederate forces fell back to Roanoke Island. General Henry A. Wise, commanding Roanoke, also asked for troops and supplies. Benjamin's War Department had no arms to send because of the Union blockade.
In February 1862, Union forces landed a huge number of troops at an undefended spot on Roanoke Island. The Confederates were quickly defeated. This was a major military blow to the Confederacy. There was a public outcry against Benjamin, led by General Wise.
It was later revealed that Benjamin and Davis had agreed for Benjamin to take the blame. They did not want to reveal the severe shortage of weapons. The Richmond Examiner accused Benjamin of being "stupid." Diarist Mary Chestnut wrote that "the mob calls him Mr. Davis's pet Jew." The Wise family never forgave Benjamin.
The Confederate States Congress investigated the military losses. Benjamin testified before them. The Secretary of State, Robert M. T. Hunter, had resigned. In March 1862, Benjamin was appointed as his replacement. Varina Davis, the President's wife, noted that Davis promoted Benjamin because he felt Benjamin had been treated unfairly.
Confederate Secretary of State
As Secretary of State, Benjamin tried to convince Britain and France to recognize the Confederacy. He hoped this would protect the Confederacy and its trade.
Foreign Policy and "King Cotton"
By the 1850s, cheap cotton from the Southern U.S. powered European factories. British mills used more cotton than the rest of the industrialized world combined. Most of this cotton came from the American South. Many believed that if the cotton supply stopped, it would hurt Europe greatly. This idea was called "King Cotton" theory.
When the war began, Davis, against Benjamin's advice, stopped cotton exports to nations that did not recognize the Confederacy. He hoped this would force them to recognize the South. However, Britain had a large supply of cotton in warehouses. This allowed their mills to keep running for some time. Also, Britain needed wheat and flour from the United States due to a drought. Britain also feared that the U.S. might invade Canada.
Appointment and Early Efforts
Davis appointed Benjamin as Secretary of State on March 17, 1862. The Confederate Senate quickly confirmed him. Benjamin's appointment did not bring Davis much political support. Many white Southerners did not understand Benjamin and somewhat disliked him.
Benjamin worked closely with Jefferson Davis. He was also very close to Varina Davis. They shared thoughts about the war and the President's health.
Benjamin's chances of getting European recognition depended on the Confederacy's military success. In June 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee pushed back Union General George B. McClellan's forces near Richmond. This ended the immediate threat to the capital. After this, Emperor Napoleon III of France was open to Benjamin's proposals. Benjamin offered trade deals if France intervened for the Confederacy. However, the Emperor would not act without Britain.
The bloody battle at Antietam in September 1862 ended Lee's first major move into the North. This gave Lincoln the confidence to announce the Emancipation Proclamation. British officials were surprised by Antietam. They had expected Lee to win a big victory. They now saw the war as a stalemate. This meant the North and South might fight for years.
The last few months of 1862 were a high point for Benjamin's diplomacy. In October, British official William Ewart Gladstone said he believed the Confederacy would win. He stated, "There is no doubt that Jefferson Davis and other leaders of the South have made an army... they have made a nation." Later that month, Napoleon proposed that Britain and Russia join him. They would ask for a six-month ceasefire and an end to the blockade. This would likely lead to Southern independence. The British Cabinet was divided. In mid-November, they decided to wait for the South to defeat Lincoln's forces before recognizing it. The British public also realized that Union victory would mean the end of slavery. This made supporting the South politically difficult.
Benjamin was not allowed to offer the one thing that might have worked: ending slavery in the Confederacy. This made his diplomacy very difficult. Benjamin blamed Napoleon for the failure.
Later Efforts and Challenges
The Confederate defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July 1863 made it unlikely that Britain or any other nation would recognize the Confederacy. In August, Benjamin told Confederate diplomat James Murray Mason that Davis believed the British would not recognize the South. Mason was free to leave Britain.
Benjamin oversaw the Confederate Secret Service. This group was responsible for secret operations in the North. He funded efforts to weaken Lincoln politically. These activities led to accusations after the war that Benjamin and Davis were involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. However, those accused were acquitted.
As the Confederacy's military situation worsened, there was talk of enlisting enslaved men in the army. They would be freed for their service. In August 1863, Benjamin said this was not possible due to legal and financial reasons. He also said enslaved people were doing valuable work where they were. However, Benjamin was not against the idea itself.
In January 1864, Confederate General Patrick Cleburne suggested freeing and arming enslaved people. Davis rejected the idea and ordered it kept secret. Benjamin had been thinking about this for a long time. The year 1864 was terrible for the Confederacy. Lee was trapped at Petersburg. Union General William T. Sherman destroyed Georgia on his march to the sea.
Benjamin urged Davis to send Duncan Kenner to Paris and London. Kenner would offer emancipation in exchange for recognition. Davis only agreed to offer gradual emancipation. Both Napoleon and British Prime Minister Palmerston rejected the proposal. Benjamin continued to push the idea. He spoke at a meeting in Richmond in February 1865, supporting arming enslaved people. A bill passed the Confederate Congress in March, but it was too late to change the war's outcome.
In January 1865, Lincoln sent Francis Preston Blair to Richmond to discuss reunion. Both sides agreed to meet at Fort Monroe. Benjamin wrote instructions for the Southern delegation. But Davis insisted on changing them to refer to North and South as "two nations." Lincoln would not accept the South as a separate country. This ended the Hampton Roads Conference.
Escape to England
By March 1865, the Confederate military was in a desperate situation. Most major cities had fallen. General Lee's defense of Richmond was failing. On April 2, Lee sent word that he could not hold off Union troops much longer. Those who did not leave Richmond would be trapped. That night, President Davis and his Cabinet left on a train to Danville. Navy Secretary Stephen R. Mallory noted Benjamin's "hope and good humor [was] inexhaustible."
For a week, Danville was the capital of the Confederacy. Then, news came of Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. Davis and his Cabinet fled south to Greensboro, North Carolina. In Greensboro, Benjamin and other Cabinet members had to sleep in a railroad boxcar. Davis wanted to reach Texas, where he heard Confederate forces were still active. Benjamin, however, told Davis that the cause was hopeless.
The group moved south on April 15. Benjamin, who was heavy, rode in an ambulance. He entertained his companions by reciting poetry. In Charlotte, Benjamin stayed with a Jewish merchant. Here, Benjamin told Davis that he wanted to separate from the presidential group. He planned to go to the Bahamas to send instructions to foreign agents. He then intended to rejoin Davis in Texas. However, Benjamin likely never planned to return to the South. When he said goodbye to John Reagan, the postmaster general asked where he was going. Benjamin replied, "To the farthest place from the United States, if it takes me to the middle of China."
Benjamin traveled south with one companion, pretending to be a Frenchman who spoke no English. He had some gold and left much of it for his relatives. He avoided capture, while Davis was taken by Union troops. Benjamin reached Monticello, Florida, on May 13. He learned Union troops were nearby. Benjamin decided to continue alone on horseback. He traveled along Florida's Gulf Coast, pretending to be a South Carolina farmer. He was helped by several people who hid him in a swamp and transported him to Gamble Mansion.
From there, he reached Bimini in the Bahamas with the help of Captain Frederick Tresca. His escape was difficult. At one point, he pretended to be a Jewish cook on Tresca's ship to trick American soldiers. The small boat he took from Bimini to Nassau exploded. He and the crew managed to return to Bimini. Tresca's ship was still there, and Benjamin chartered it to Nassau. From Nassau, he took a ship to Havana. On August 6, 1865, he left Havana for Britain. His ship caught fire after leaving St. Thomas, but the crew put out the flames. On August 30, 1865, Judah Benjamin arrived in Southampton, Britain.
Life and Career in England
Benjamin spent a week in London helping to close Confederate affairs. Then he went to Paris to see his wife and daughter. Friends in Paris urged him to join a business firm. But Benjamin felt that the U.S. government might interfere with such a career. So, he decided to become a lawyer again in England. Most of Benjamin's property had been destroyed or taken. He needed to earn a living for himself and his family.
On January 13, 1866, Benjamin enrolled at Lincoln's Inn, a place where lawyers are trained. He was allowed to study law under Charles Pollock. Despite being 54 years old, he was initially required to study for three years. However, he was allowed to become a lawyer on June 6, 1866, much sooner than usual.
As a lawyer, Benjamin joined the Northern Circuit. This area included Liverpool, where his business knowledge would be helpful. In an early case, he defended two former Confederate agents. They were sued by the United States government. He lost that case but won another against his former enemies. Most of his remaining money was lost when a company he invested in failed. He wrote articles on international affairs for The Daily Telegraph to earn money.
In 1868, Benjamin published a book called A Treatise on the Law of Sale of Personal Property. This book, known as Benjamin on Sales, became a very important legal text in both Britain and America. It helped him become a successful lawyer in England. The book is still used today.
In 1867, Benjamin was accused in Richmond of waging war against the United States, along with Davis and Lee. But the charges were soon dropped. Davis visited London in 1868. Benjamin advised him not to take legal action against a book author who had angered Davis. Benjamin corresponded with Davis and met him when Davis visited Europe.
Benjamin became a "Palatine silk" in July 1869. This meant he had the special rank of a Queen's Counsel within Lancashire. In 1872, he argued a case before the House of Lords. He impressed Lord Hatherley so much that he was given the privileges of a Queen's Counsel. As he became more famous, he stopped taking cases with juries. He preferred trials or appeals before judges. In his last years, he charged a very high extra fee to appear in any court other than the House of Lords. In 1875, he became a bencher of Lincoln's Inn.
Later Years and Death
In his final years, Benjamin had health problems. In 1880, he was badly hurt in a fall from a tram in Paris. He also developed diabetes. He had a heart attack in Paris in late 1882. His doctor told him to retire. His health improved enough for him to travel to London in June 1883. There, a dinner was held in his honor, attended by many important English lawyers and judges.
He returned to Paris and had another heart problem in early 1884. Natalie Benjamin had Catholic last rites given to her Jewish husband before he died in Paris on May 6, 1884. His funeral services were held in a church. Judah Benjamin was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in the St. Martin family crypt. His grave did not have his name on it until 1938. A plaque was placed there by a group called the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Legacy
Benjamin was the first U.S. senator to openly practice the Jewish faith. He married a non-Jewish person and was not a member of a synagogue. He rarely spoke about his Jewish background in public but was not ashamed of it.
Many people recognized Benjamin's intelligence. Salomon de Rothschild called Benjamin "the greatest mind" in North America in 1861. He rose to the top of the legal profession twice in his life, on two different continents. He started his first legal career as a young man. He began his second as a person fleeing from a defeated government.
After Benjamin's death, he was not written about much. This was different from other Confederate leaders. Part of this was because Benjamin destroyed his personal papers. This made it hard for historians to research his life. Some historians suggest that Benjamin's success after the war, while other Confederates struggled, may have made some Southerners dislike him. Anti-Semitism may also have played a role.
People writing about Jewish history were hesitant to praise a slave owner. They often felt uncomfortable with Benjamin's story. However, Benjamin was respected in the South as a leader of the Confederate cause for a century after the Civil War.
Benjamin remains a somewhat mysterious figure in Civil War history. He is remembered as a top speaker, lawyer, and statesman. He was considered unmatched in the legal fields of two great nations.
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Judah Benjamin's signature
See also
In Spanish: Judah Philip Benjamin para niños
