James Alexander Seddon

Seddon, James Alexander (1815–80), U.S. politician, Confederate secretary of war (1862–65). He was a close friend of Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, but unpopular with the Confederate Congress. He supported an offensive military effort in the West and the conscription act. Seddon was born in Fredericksburg, Va., studied law at the Univ. of Virginia, and served in the U.S. House of Representatives before the Civil War.

See also: Civil War, U.S.