John Anthony Winston (September 4, 1812 – December 21, 1871) was a planter, military officer, and politician who served from 1853 to 1857 as the 15th governor of Alabama and from 1845 to 1849 as president of the Alabama state senate. Alabama's first native-born governor, Winston later fought for the Confederate States of America as colonel of the 8th Alabama Infantry early in the American Civil War. After the war, he was not permitted to assume a seat in the United States Senate.
Early and family life
John Anthony Winston was born in 1812 to Mary Cooper and her planter husband William Winston in Madison County, then in the Alabama Territory. His grandfather Anthony Winston was a Revolutionary War veteran who also served in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Winston received a private education typical of his class, including at LaGrange College (now the location of the University of North Alabama) and at Cumberland College (which later became the University of Nashville).