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| - Varina Banks Howell Davis (May 7, 1826 - October 16, 1906) is best remembered as the wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis during the American Civil War. Varina Banks Howell was born and raised on a plantation in Natchez, Mississippi. Though her family was aristocratic, financial success eluded them and money was often tight. She married Jefferson Finis Davis, a widower, in 1845. The early years of their marriage were strained, but when Davis began to rise to prominence in the US Congress, and Varina moved with him to Washington, DC, they became much happier.
- Varina Banks Howell Davis (May 7, 1826 – October 16, 1906) was the second wife of the politician Jefferson Davis, who became president of the Confederate States of America. She served as the First Lady of the new nation at the capital in Richmond, Virginia, although she was ambivalent about the war. Smart and educated, with family in both the North and South, she had unconventional views for her public role, although she supported slavery and states' rights.
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| abstract
| - Varina Banks Howell Davis (May 7, 1826 – October 16, 1906) was the second wife of the politician Jefferson Davis, who became president of the Confederate States of America. She served as the First Lady of the new nation at the capital in Richmond, Virginia, although she was ambivalent about the war. Smart and educated, with family in both the North and South, she had unconventional views for her public role, although she supported slavery and states' rights. Howell Davis became a writer after the American Civil War, completing her husband's memoir. She was recruited by Kate Davis Pulitzer to write articles and eventually a regular column for her husband's newspaper, the New York World of Joseph Pulitzer. In 1891 Howell Davis moved to New York City to live full-time with her daughter Winnie after her husband's death. She acted to reconcile prominent figures of the North and South in the late nineteenth century.
- Varina Banks Howell Davis (May 7, 1826 - October 16, 1906) is best remembered as the wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis during the American Civil War. Varina Banks Howell was born and raised on a plantation in Natchez, Mississippi. Though her family was aristocratic, financial success eluded them and money was often tight. She married Jefferson Finis Davis, a widower, in 1845. The early years of their marriage were strained, but when Davis began to rise to prominence in the US Congress, and Varina moved with him to Washington, DC, they became much happier. During the Civil War, she lived in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, as First Lady of the Confederate States. She kept a very low profile, especially when compared to her sensational and overbearing Union counterpart, Mary Lincoln. After the war Jefferson Davis was arrested and imprisoned in Georgia for two years. Varina was not incarcerated but she was prohibited from leaving the state of Georgia. After Davis was paroled, she traveled with him through Europe and Canada as he sought to rebuild his lost fortune. Davis died in 1889 and Varina published a biography of her husband in 1892. The biography was not successful, but in writing it she became acquainted with Joseph Pulitzer, who recognized her literary talents and helped her to launch a career as an author. She moved to New York City, much to the annoyance of Lost Cause apologists, who were further offended by her close friendship with Julia Grant, her cordial meetings with Booker T. Washington, and her general lack of nostalgia for the Old South. Varina Davis died of pneumonia in 1906. Only one of her six children was alive at the time.
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