A Promise Fulfilled: President Carter Signs Jefferson Davis’s Citizenship Bill
On October 17, 1978, the moment finally came.
It didn’t happen with television cameras flashing or with crowds gathered around. It happened quietly, in the White House, while the President of the United States was balancing peace in the Middle East with a personal request from a great-great-grandson of Jefferson Davis.
That great great grandson was me.
And I’ll never forget what it felt like when I got the news: President Jimmy Carter had signed the bill into law.
The measure—Public Law 95-466—officially restored Jefferson Davis’s citizenship more than a century after it had been stripped away following the Civil War. It was the final chapter in a story I had been living for over 13 years… a story that began with a pinky promise to my grandmother.
“I’d Like to Be There When He Signs It.”
That’s what I had asked in letters to Senator Hatfield and President Carter. I even picked up the phone and spoke to Ham Jordan, the President’s Chief of Staff.
It was a long shot. But I had to try.
Unfortunately, Mr. Jordan explained that President Carter wouldn’t be able to host guests for the signing. At that very moment, he was at Camp David, hosting Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin—two men trying to find peace after generations of bloodshed.
And in that moment, I understood. As much as I wanted to be there, the bigger picture mattered more.
“Thank You, Granny. I Did It.”
On October 17, President Carter signed the bill into law and issued this official statement:
“In posthumously restoring the full rights of citizenship to Jefferson Davis the Congress officially completes the long process of reconciliation that has reunited our people following the tragic conflict between the states.
He had served the United States long and honorably as a soldier, member of the House and Senate, and as Secretary of War... It is fitting that Jefferson Davis should no longer be singled out for punishment.
Our people need to turn their attention to the important tasks that still lie before us in establishing those principles for all people.”
Reading that statement brought tears to my eyes.
I looked up to the sky and whispered, “Thank you, Granny. I did it.”
200+ Calls. 150+ Letters. 13 Years.
That’s what it took.
Over 50 in-person visits to Washington D.C.
Countless hours in libraries—long before the internet.
Two homes, two kids, one more on the way, a new marriage, and a dozen career milestones.
And through it all, the promise never faded. The fire never went out.
Senator Cranston, true to form, sent me a copy of the bill. My mom, when I called her with the news, said words I’ll never forget: “Good job. I’m so proud of you.”
I was 31 years old. And somehow… we had done it.
A Tribute to Perseverance
This journey was never just about Jefferson Davis.
It was about the power of a promise.
The grit to keep going.
And the way strangers—senators, staffers, and historians—can become friends in a common cause.
Hatfield. Thurman. Cranston. Eastland. Lott.
Each played a role. Each believed the time had come.
And now, history had shifted—just a little. Not to rewrite the past, but to reflect the fullness of it. To heal, in some small way. And to honor a life of service that had long been overshadowed by conflict and consequence.
Want to See It for Yourself?
You can download a copy of Public Law 95-466 and President Carter’s official statement below.
You can also read (or listen to) the full story of how this came to be—and why it mattered so deeply to me, my family, and this country. Click the orange button below.
Because history is more than dates and battles.
It’s promises kept.
And stories passed down—generation to generation.
—Dr. Howard Edward Haller