John Brooks (politician, 1752)

John Brooks (1820, portrait by Gilbert Stuart )

John Brooks (born May 4, 1752 in Medford , Province of Massachusetts Bay , † March 1, 1825 ibid) was an American politician and from 1816 to 1823 governor of the state of Massachusetts .

Early years and political advancement

John Brooks attended public schools in his home country. After studying medicine, he worked as a doctor in Reading and Medfield. During the War of Independence , he fought in the Continental Army and took part in several battles.

After the war, Brooks began a political career. He became a member of the Federalist Party founded by Alexander Hamilton . Between 1785 and 1786 he was a member of the House of Representatives from Massachusetts . In 1788 he was a member of the Massachusetts convention that ratified the United States Constitution. As major general of the militia, he put down the so-called Shay rebellion in 1786. In 1791 he was Federal Marshal for Massachusetts. In the same year he was also a member of the State Senate . From 1792 to 1796 he was Brigadier General in the US Army and between 1812 and 1816 he was Adjutant General in command of his state's militia. On April 1, 1816 he was elected the new governor.

Massachusetts Governor

John Brooks took office on May 30, 1816. After he was re-elected in the following years, he could exercise this office until May 31, 1823. The most important event of this time was the founding of the state of Maine in 1820. The area of ​​the new state until then belonged to Massachusetts. The creation of Maine was part of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 drawn up by Senator Henry Clay , according to which Maine would be admitted as a slave-free state and Missouri as a state where slavery was allowed. During Brooks' tenure, the state constitution of Massachusetts was reformed. In 1823 the governor declined to run again. He was the last federalist elected to important political office in the United States before the party dissolved.

After the end of his governorship, John Brooks withdrew from politics. He died on March 1, 1825. Governor Brooks had a child with his wife, Lucy Smith.

Web links

• John Brooks in the National Governors Association (English)
• John Brooks in the database of Find a Grave (English)