Simon Bolivar Buckner

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	(1823-04-01)April 1, 1823 Munfordville, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	January 8, 1914(1914-01-08) (aged 90) Hart County, Kentucky, U.S.
Resting place	Frankfort Cemetery
Political party	Democratic National Democratic (1896)
Spouses	Mary Kingsbury ​ ​ (m. 1850; died 1874)​ Delia Claiborne ​ (m. 1885)​
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	Mexican–American War Battle of Buena Vista American Civil War Battle of Fort Donelson Battle of Perryville Battle of Chickamauga Battle of Munfordville

Simon Bolivar Buckner (/ˈsaɪmən ˈbɒlɪvər ˈbʌknər/ SY-mən BOL-i-vər BUK-nər; April 1, 1823 – January 8, 1914) was an American soldier, Confederate soldier, 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.