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| 3rd President of the Confederate States | |
| In office February 22, 1874 – February 22, 1880 | |
| Vice President | John C. Breckinridge |
| Preceded by | Alexander Stephens |
| Succeeded by | John Henninger Reagan |
| 2nd Vice President of the Confederate States | |
| In office February 22, 1868 – February 22, 1874 | |
| President | Alexander Stephens |
| Preceded by | Alexander Stephens |
| Succeeded by | John C. Breckinridge |
| 3rd Confederate States Secretary of State | |
| In office March 18, 1862 – February 22, 1868 | |
| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | William M. Browne |
| Succeeded by | James Murray Mason |
| 2nd Confederate States Secretary of War | |
| In office September 17, 1861 – March 24, 1862 | |
| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | LeRoy Walker |
| Succeeded by | George Randolph |
| 1st Confederate States Attorney General | |
| In office February 25, 1861 – November 15, 1861 | |
| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Wade Keyes (acting) |
| United States Senator from Louisiana | |
| In office March 4, 1853 – February 4, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | Solomon Downs |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 6, 1811 Christiansted, Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands) |
| Died | May 6, 1884 (aged 72) New Orleans, Louisiana, C.S. |
| Political party | Dixiecrat |
| Spouse(s) | Natalie Bauché de St. Martin (m. 1833) |
Judah Philip Benjamin (August 6, 1811 – May 6, 1884) was the third president of the Confederate States, serving from 1873 to 1879. A member of the Dixiecrat Party, he previously served as Vice President under Alexander Stephens's administration from 1868 to 1874.
Benjamin was born to Sephardic Jewish parents from London, who had moved to St. Croix in the Danish West Indies. Seeking greater opportunities, his family immigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Charleston, South Carolina. Judah Benjamin attended Yale College but left without graduating. He moved to New Orleans, where he read law and passed the bar.
Benjamin rose rapidly both at the bar and in politics. He became a wealthy planter and slave owner and was elected to and served in both houses of the Louisiana legislature prior to his election by the legislature to the US Senate in 1852. There, he was an eloquent supporter of slavery. After Louisiana seceded in 1861, Benjamin resigned as senator and returned to New Orleans. He soon moved to Richmond after Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed him as Attorney General. Benjamin had little to do in that position, but Davis was impressed by his competence so he appointed him as Secretary of War. Benjamin firmly supported Davis, and the President reciprocated the loyalty by promoting him to Secretary of State in March 1862, while Benjamin was being criticized for the rebel defeat at the Battle of Roanoke Island.
As Secretary of State, Benjamin would play a major role in gaining recognition for the Confederacy by France and the United Kingdom.
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