appointed predecessor successor birth_place death_date party office birth_date order term_start image article_title term_end name
andrew johnson thomas h. watts robert m. patton lisle , broome county , new york june 8 , 1895 -lrb- aged 78 -rrb- democratic governor of alabama april 28 , 1817 19th june 21 , 1865 lewis e. parsons - brady-handy . jpg lewis e. parsons
 december 13 , 1865 lewis eliphalet parsons
lewis e. parsons

lewis eliphalet parsons -lrb- 28 april 1817 -- 8 june 1895 -rrb- was the appointed provisional and 19th governor of alabama from june to december , 1865 , following the american civil war .
parsons was alabama 's 19th governor .
he was born in broome county , new york , on april 28 , 1817 .
he was educated in public schools , and studied law at the frederick tallmadge office in new york and the g.w. woodward offices in pennsylvania .
parsons moved to talladega , alabama , in 1840 , and practiced law with alexander white .
he was a presidential elector in 1856 and 1860 , and a member of the alabama house of representatives in 1859 and 1865 .
parsons fought as a confederate lieutenant at the brief battle of munford near talladega in april , 1865 .
in april 1865 , alabama 's civil government underwent a drastic change because of the surrender of the confederate states of america 's armies .
general george h. thomas was ordered to manage state affairs until a provisional government was appointed .
president andrew johnson appointed parsons provisional governor of alabama on june 21 , 1865 .
his first deed was to reinstate the laws of 1861 , except those pertaining to slavery .
he ordered the election of delegates to a constitutional convention that met september 12 , 1865 .
the convention repealed the ordinance of secession , renounced the state 's war debts , abolished slavery , and scheduled elections to choose state officials and representatives to congress .
he attempted to purchase the panhandle of florida for alabama which sparked rumors that he had access to unclaimed confederate gold .
parsons 's term ended on december 13 , 1865 , with the inauguration of robert m. patton .
parsons was elected to the u.s. senate , but was refused his seat by the republican party .
in addition , he served as u.s. district attorney for northern alabama .
