Jeff Davis, often referred to as Jefferson Davis, was the President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Born on June 3, 1808, in Kentucky, he was a West Point graduate and served in the Mexican-American War. Davis was a prominent politician and served as a U.S. Senator from Mississippi before the Civil War. After the Confederacy's defeat, Davis was captured in 1865 and imprisoned for two years. He was released on bail and spent the remainder of his life writing and speaking about the South's cause. He died on December 6, 1889, in New Orleans.