William Montague Browne

William M. Browne

William Montague Browne (born July 7, 1823 in County Mayo , Ireland , † April 28, 1883 in Athens , Georgia ) was a US newspaper editor, CS foreign minister, CS general and university professor after the Civil War . He was a man with a science education. He spoke several languages ​​and had a broad knowledge of foreign affairs.

Origin and career

He was the son of Member of the British Parliament D. Geoffrey Browne and his unnamed wife. He attended Rugby Preparatory School , Trinity College in Dublin and the Irish National University before entering the Diplomatic Service during the Crimean War . He was married, but the marriage remained childless. In 1853 he emigrated to New York in the USA . There he became the political editor-in-chief of the Journal of Commerce . In 1857 he moved to Washington to publish the Constitution , a pro- Buchanan magazine. Four years later, in 1861, he accompanied his friend Howell Cobb to Athens, Georgia.

Secession period

During the meetings of the Provisional Confederate Congress in Montgomery , Alabama , Browne quickly became a friend of Jefferson Davis . When he volunteered for the Confederate States Army , Davis took him on to his personal staff. As a member of Davis' Organization Department, he was of unlimited use. Davis also appointed him Deputy Secretary of State and so he became acting Secretary of State from March 7 to March 18, 1862 after the resignation of Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter . This was necessary for communication with the CS House of Representatives. On February 20, 1862, with the confirmation of the CS Senate, he was again deputy. Since the new Secretary of State Judah Philip Benjamin was Secretary of War until March 24, 1862 , Browne took over the management of the department during this time. He also took part in various fights. On November 1st, 1862, he was made brigadier general and sent to Savannah , Georgia, where he served under General Hugh W. Mercer during the siege of the city by troops under General William Tecumseh Sherman . The appointment as brigadier general was later denied by the Confederate Senate. In mid-1865 he surrendered to the US troops in North Carolina and was quickly pardoned.

post war period

After the war, Browne settled near Athens. He failed as a planter , but successfully published the Farm and Home newspaper. During the 1860s he also wrote the biography of Alexander Hamilton Stephens . Through its association with Howell Cobb, the University of Georgia conferred on Browne the professorship of law, history, and economics. He carried out this activity from 1866 until his death on April 28, 1883 in Athens. He is buried there in Oconee Hill Cemetery .

literature

• Jon L. Wakelyn: Biographical Dictionary of the Confederacy Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge ISBN 0-8071-0092-7
• Rembert W. Patrick: Jefferson Davis and his cabinet Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 1944.

Web links

• William Montague Browne in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter	Foreign Minister of the Confederate 7 March 1862 (acting) to 18 March 1862	Judah Philip Benjamin