Albert G. Brown

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Albert G. Brown

Albert Gallatin Brown (born May 31, 1813 in Chester , Chester County , South Carolina , † June 12, 1880 in Terry , Mississippi ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Mississippi from 1844 to 1848 . He also represented his state in both chambers of the US Congress .

Early years and political advancement

Albert Brown came to Mississippi State with his parents in 1823, where the family settled in Copiah County . Brown attended Mississippi College in Clinton and Jefferson College in Washington . After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1834, he began to work in his new profession in Gallatin .

Albert Brown became a member of the Democratic Party . Between 1835 and 1839 he was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives . He then represented his state in the US House of Representatives for a legislative period between March 4, 1839 and March 3, 1841 . In 1840 he declined to run again. Between 1842 and 1843 he was a judge in a Mississippi high court.

Mississippi Governor

On November 6, 1843, Albert Brown was elected governor of his state. He took up his new office on January 10, 1844 and, after being re-elected in 1845, was able to exercise it until January 10, 1848. During his tenure, the University of Mississippi was founded. The introduction of a nationwide school system failed due to resistance from his opponents. At the time, both Mississippi State and its own party were deeply divided over two bank failures that had taken place a few years before Brown took office and that had driven up national debt. The fact that the Mississippi government did not take back the government bonds sold by Union Bank had made many people bitter. He managed to intervene in a conciliatory manner and partially overcome the rifts. The Mexican-American War also took place during his term of office , to which the state of Mississippi also had to make its contribution.

MP and US Senator

After the end of his term as governor, Brown was elected to the US House of Representatives for three additional terms. He exercised this mandate between March 4, 1847 and March 3, 1853. In 1854 he succeeded Walker Brooke in the US Senate as a Class 2 Senator . He exercised this mandate between January 7, 1854 and January 12, 1861. At times he was chairman of the committee that dealt with the administration of the Federal District of Washington DC . He was also a member of the Committee on Enrolled Bills . During this time he became one of the leaders of the southern states in Congress. He supported the positions of the South and stood up for the rights of the individual states. After his state left the Union, Brown resigned from the Senate. The seat remained vacant for nine years until Hiram Rhodes Revels , a Mississippi politician, moved into the Senate.

Brown during the Civil War

At the beginning of the civil war he set up his own company, which he commanded as a captain. Military he was briefly deployed in Virginia . But in 1862 he returned to politics. Between February 18, 1862 and May 10, 1865 he was a member of the Senate of the Confederate States . After the city of Vicksburg was captured by Union forces and the simultaneous defeat of the Southern Army at the Battle of Gettysburg , Brown was one of the first and few southern politicians to recognize the military defeat. He pushed for a peace treaty with the northern states . But he was not heard by the leading politicians of the Confederation. So the war continued for two years and cost countless human lives on both sides.

Another résumé

After the war, he advised his compatriots in Mississippi to come to terms with the defeat and acknowledge the new situation, including the emancipation of the former slaves. Brown then retired from politics and worked as a lawyer. He died in June 1880 and was buried in Jackson , capital of Mississippi. Albert Brown was married twice and had two children in total.

According to him, Brown County named in Kansas.

literature

  • Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Brown, Albert G.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brown, Albert Gallatin (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH May 31, 1813
PLACE OF BIRTH Chester , South Carolina
DATE OF DEATH June 12, 1880
Place of death Terry , Mississippi