John Gill Shorter (April 23, 1818 – May 29, 1872) was an American politician, lawyer, and slaveowner who served as the 17th governor of Alabama from 1861 to 1863 during the American Civil War. Before assuming the governorship, Shorter was a Deputy from Alabama to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States from February 1861 to December 1861.
Early life
John Gill Shorter was born on April 23, 1818, in Monticello, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia, graduating in 1837, then moved to Eufaula, Alabama where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1838.
In 1843 he married Mary Jane Battle, and established himself in Barbour county as a prominent South Alabama attorney, with sizeable holdings of land and slaves.
Shorter was then chosen as one of Alabama's delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, where he established a reputation as a strong supporter of the Davis administration's policies. By August 1863 there were an estimated 8,000 deserters and rebels in the Alabama hill country.
Governor Shorter also made efforts to impress slaves to build fortifications and maintain critical railroads. Thousands were sent to work at Mobile and other points across the state, and at least 500 enslaved people died laboring under harsh conditions. and Shorter later reflected that impressment of slaves was the main reason for his defeat when he ran for reelection. Leaving office in December, 1863, Shorter did not return to public life,