James Chesnut Jr.

James Chesnut, Jr. (January 18, 1815 - February 1, 1885) of Camden, South Carolina was a signatory of the Constitution of the Confederate States of America. He is best known as the husband of Mary Chesnut, whose diary reveals valuable observations of Southern life in the American Civil War.

Chesnut was a wealthy Southern planter, a defender of slavery and a staunch secessionist. He graduated from the law department of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1837, and initially rose to prominence in South Carolina state politics. Chesnut was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1858 and served there for two years before participating in the South Carolina secession convention. When the Civil War broke out, he served the Confederate army as a colonel, brigadier general, and aide to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. After the war he returned to the practice of law in Camden.

External links

• James Chesnut, Jr. biography on the U.S. Congress website