Judah P. Benjamin – Today In Southern History
6 August 1811
6 August 1811
On this date in 1811…
Confederate Secretary of State, Secretary of War, and Attorney General, Judah P. Benjamin was born in the British West Indies. Benjamin was the first Jewish member of any American president’s cabinet.
Other Years:
1685 - King Louis XIV’s Code Noir decree regulates slavery in the French colonies
1861 – Despite U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s promises, the federal government violated Kentucky neutrality by establishing a military camp outside Lexington. The action ultimately causes Kentucky to secede, after witnessing violent federal actions against the state government in Missouri.
1864 – The Confederate raider C.S.S. Tallahassee broke the blockade and began a two-week campaign in which it destroyed 30 federal ships.
1870 – With their votes no longer suppressed, white Southerners recaptured the Tennessee legislature.
1901 – Kiowa land in Oklahoma was opened for white settlement, dissolving the Kiowa reservation.
1939 – Tennessee native Dinah Shore became the first woman to host her own show on the NBC Blue radio network.
1952 – Mobile, Alabama native Robert Leroy “Satchel” Paige, at age 46, became the oldest pitcher to complete a major league baseball game.
1965 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the “Voting Rights Act” which made it illegal for Southern states to set requirements for voting that are still commonly legal in other states.
1972 - Hank Aaron hit his 660th and 661st home runs for the Atlanta Braves, breaking Babe Ruth’s MLB record for most home runs with one team
1998 – Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky spent 8 1/2 hours testifying before a grand jury about her relationship with former Arkansas governor and U.S. President Bill Clinton.
2018 - Facebook, Apple, YouTube, and Spotify removed InfoWars broadcaster Alex Jones of Dallas, TX from their platforms
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Any corroboration of the fact that he became a Catholic at the end of his life? In Britain?