Simon Bolivar Buckner | |
|---|---|
 Buckner, c. 1860–70 | |
| 30th Governor of Kentucky | |
| In office August 30, 1887 – September 2, 1891 | |
| Lieutenant | James Bryan |
| Preceded by | J. Proctor Knott |
| Succeeded by | John Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 1, 1823 Munfordville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | January 8, 1914 (aged 90) Hart County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Resting place | Frankfort Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic National Democratic (1896) |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Lily, Simon Jr. |
| Education | United States Military Academy (BS) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States Confederate States |
| Branch/service | United States Army Kentucky State Guard Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1844–1855 (U.S. Army) 1858–1861 (KY State Guard) 1861–1865 (C.S. Army) |
| Rank | Captain (U.S. Army) Major general (KY State Guard) Lieutenant general (C.S. Army) |
| Unit | U.S. 2nd Infantry Regiment U.S. 6th Infantry Regiment |
| Commands | Fort Donelson (Temporarily, surrendered) 2nd Division, 2nd Corps, Army of Tennessee District of the Gulf 3rd Corps, Army of Tennessee Department of East Tennessee District of Arkansas and Western Louisiana |
| Battles/wars | |
Simon Bolivar Buckner (/ˈsaɪmən ˈbɒlɪvər ˈbʌknər/ SY-mən BOL-i-vər BUK-nər; April 1, 1823 – January 8, 1914) was an American soldier, Confederate military officer, and politician. He fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War. He later fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he served as the 30th governor of Kentucky.
After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Buckner became an instructor there. He took a hiatus from teaching to serve in the Mexican–American War, participating in many of its major battles. He resigned from the army in 1855 to manage his father-in-law's real estate in Chicago, Illinois. He returned to his native state of Kentucky in 1857 and was appointed adjutant general by Governor Beriah Magoffin in 1861. In this position, he tried to enforce Kentucky's neutrality policy in the early days of the Civil War. When the state's neutrality was breached, Buckner accepted a commission in the Confederate Army after declining a similar commission to the Union Army. In 1862, he accepted Ulysses S. Grant's demand for an "unconditional surrender" at the Battle of Fort Donelson. He was the first Confederate general to surrender an army in the war. He spent five months as a prisoner of war. After his release, Buckner participated in Braxton Bragg's failed invasion of Kentucky and near the end of the war became chief of staff to Edmund Kirby Smith in the Trans-Mississippi Department.
In the years following the war, Buckner became active in politics. He was elected governor of Kentucky in 1887, in his second campaign for that office. His term was plagued by violent feuds in the eastern part of the state, including the Hatfield–McCoy feud and the Rowan County War. His administration was rocked by scandal when state treasurer James "Honest Dick" Tate absconded with $250,000 from the state's treasury. As governor, Buckner became known for vetoing special interest legislation. In the 1888 legislative session alone, he issued more vetoes than the previous ten governors combined. In 1895, he made an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate. The following year, he joined the National Democratic Party, or "Gold Democrats", who favored a gold standard policy over the Free Silver position of the mainline Democrats. He was the National Democratic Party's candidate for Vice President of the United States in the 1896 election, but polled just over one percent of the vote on a ticket with his running mate, ex-Union general John M. Palmer. He never again sought public office and died on January 8, 1914.