Judah P. Benjamin (Brothers No More)

Judah Philip Benjamin (August 11, 1811 – May 6, 1884) was a Confederate lawyer and politician who served as both a U.S. and C.S. Senator from Louisiana, as the Confederate Attorney General and Secretary of War and State, and as the 2nd Vice President of the Confederate States. He was the first and only Jewish vice president of the Confederacy.

Early Life
See here.

U.S. Politician
See here.

Confederate Politician
Benjamin started his political career in the Confederate States as the nation's first Attorney General, serving in the cabinet of Jefferson Davis. President Davis was so impressed with Benjamin's work that he was soon promoted to Secretary of War, and then Secretary of State. Benjamin would be the Secretary of State through the remainder of the war and then until the end of President Davis's term. When presidential candidate Robert E. Lee asked Davis who he should name as his running mate, the outgoing president strongly recommended Benjamin for the role. Lee accepted that recommendation, and Benjamin was elected to be Lee's vice president in the 1867 election.

Vice President of the Confederate States
Benjamin was known as a capable vice president, though he did not do anything extremely inspiring. He supported almost all of Lee's actions, including the Mexican-Confederate War. If President Lee needed advice on domestic political matters, Benjamin was often the first person he asked.

Vice President Benjamin wanted to run for president in 1873, but he realized that Stonewall Jackson was the preferred candidate for Lee and Davis. He instead ran for the Louisiana senate seat vacated by the incoming vice president, Albert G. Brown.

Post-Vice Presidency
Benjamin won the election easily, resuming the position he held as a U.S. politician before the war. He served as a senator for most of the rest of his life. Senator Benjamin supported James Longstreet in the 1879 election and joined the Confederate Party shortly after its creation in 1880. He experienced health issues in his later life that led to his resignation from the senate in June 1882. Judah P. Benjamin passed away in 1884 at the age of 72.

Legacy
Judah P. Benjamin is remembered fondly in his home state of Louisiana, where statues of him exist in several major cities. His time as vice president is mostly forgotten, as he did not do anything revolutionary in the role. He is also very popular in the Jewish community, within the Confederacy and internationally. He became a figure of resistance against brewing Antisemitism in the Confederacy in the 1930's.