Albert G. Brown
Encyclopedia
Albert Gallatin Brown was Governor of Mississippi from 1844 to 1848 and a United States Senator from Mississippi
from 1854 through 1861. Brown attended Mississippi College
. He was a Democrat.
Albert was one of the most popular and influential man in the state of Mississippi his time. He is considered the father of the public school system and the University of Mississippi. His rhetorical attacks on illiteracy will live forever as classic contributions to the cause of Education in Mississippi.
He was also a strong advocate for the expansion of slavery. In 1858 he strategized: "I want a foothold in Central America... because I want to plant slavery there...I want Cuba,... Tamaulipas, Potosi, and one or two other Mexican States; and I want them all for the same reason - for the planting or spreading of slavery." (Akhil Reed Amar, America's Constitution, A Biography (2005) 267, quoting M.W. Mcklusky, ed., Speeches, Messages, and Other Writings of the Hon. Albert G. Brown (1859), 594-5)
"Albert Gallatin Brown possessed magical powers. With many learnt spells, handsome continence, surrounded by a luxuriant, flowing beard and dark-curly hair, in every sense he looked distinguished. Courageous, he was void of vanity; animated, he was persuasive; his spirit, crackerish to the extreme.” In his speech, Reuben Davis, who knew him well, states in his book, Reminiscences on Mississippi and Mississippians, that Brown "was the best balanced man I ever knew...In politics he had strategy with-out corruption, and handled all his opponents with skill but never descended to intrigue." During a lifetime most of which was spent in an epoch of bitter controversy, his most intimate friends never heard him speak ill of others.
Overcome by a stroke of apoplexy, he fell face down in a shallow pond at his home near Terry, in 1880, and his last remains rest in Greenwood Cemetery
at Jackson. For thirty years, he produced a record in public service that illuminates the pages of history.
Albert was three terms in the State Legislature, four in the national Congress, once on the circuit bench, twice elected United States senator, serving two administrations as Governor and chosen senator in the Confederate Congress, the political career of Albert Gallatin Brown provides one of the most amazing chapters in Mississippi history." ("Mississippi State Builders" by Clayton Rand).
Albert's first wife was Elizabeth Frances Thornton Taliaferro (1817–1836) of Virginia, who died about five months after the marriage. Elizabeth was the daughter of Richard Henry Taliaferro, Sr. (1783–1830) and Frances Walker Gilmer (ca. 1784-1826)
Albert married as his second wife, Roberta Eugenia Young (1813–1886), daughter of Brig. Gen. Robert Young (1768–1824) and Elizabeth Mary Conrad (1772–1810).
Roberta's older sister was Elizabeth Mary Young (1804–1859), who was the wife of Philip Richard Fendall II
(1794–1867), the District Attorney of the District of Columbia.
, Brown serves as the running mate to Robert E. Lee
in the 1867 Confederate Presidential Election opposing Nathan Bedford Forrest
and Louis Wigfall
, and is elected vice president, but is killed during an assassination attempt against Lee on his inauguration day.
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
from 1854 through 1861. Brown attended Mississippi College
Mississippi College
Mississippi College, also known as MC, is a private, Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi. Mississippi College comprises the main campus in Clinton, as well as satellite campuses in Brandon and Madison, Mississippi, and the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson...
. He was a Democrat.
Albert was one of the most popular and influential man in the state of Mississippi his time. He is considered the father of the public school system and the University of Mississippi. His rhetorical attacks on illiteracy will live forever as classic contributions to the cause of Education in Mississippi.
He was also a strong advocate for the expansion of slavery. In 1858 he strategized: "I want a foothold in Central America... because I want to plant slavery there...I want Cuba,... Tamaulipas, Potosi, and one or two other Mexican States; and I want them all for the same reason - for the planting or spreading of slavery." (Akhil Reed Amar, America's Constitution, A Biography (2005) 267, quoting M.W. Mcklusky, ed., Speeches, Messages, and Other Writings of the Hon. Albert G. Brown (1859), 594-5)
"Albert Gallatin Brown possessed magical powers. With many learnt spells, handsome continence, surrounded by a luxuriant, flowing beard and dark-curly hair, in every sense he looked distinguished. Courageous, he was void of vanity; animated, he was persuasive; his spirit, crackerish to the extreme.” In his speech, Reuben Davis, who knew him well, states in his book, Reminiscences on Mississippi and Mississippians, that Brown "was the best balanced man I ever knew...In politics he had strategy with-out corruption, and handled all his opponents with skill but never descended to intrigue." During a lifetime most of which was spent in an epoch of bitter controversy, his most intimate friends never heard him speak ill of others.
Overcome by a stroke of apoplexy, he fell face down in a shallow pond at his home near Terry, in 1880, and his last remains rest in Greenwood Cemetery
Greenwood Cemetery, Mississippi
Greenwood Cemetery is a cemetery located in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. Still in use, it was established by a federal land grant on November 21, 1821. It was originally known simply as "The Graveyard" and later as "City Cemetery" before the present name was adopted in 1899...
at Jackson. For thirty years, he produced a record in public service that illuminates the pages of history.
Albert was three terms in the State Legislature, four in the national Congress, once on the circuit bench, twice elected United States senator, serving two administrations as Governor and chosen senator in the Confederate Congress, the political career of Albert Gallatin Brown provides one of the most amazing chapters in Mississippi history." ("Mississippi State Builders" by Clayton Rand).
Albert's first wife was Elizabeth Frances Thornton Taliaferro (1817–1836) of Virginia, who died about five months after the marriage. Elizabeth was the daughter of Richard Henry Taliaferro, Sr. (1783–1830) and Frances Walker Gilmer (ca. 1784-1826)
Albert married as his second wife, Roberta Eugenia Young (1813–1886), daughter of Brig. Gen. Robert Young (1768–1824) and Elizabeth Mary Conrad (1772–1810).
Roberta's older sister was Elizabeth Mary Young (1804–1859), who was the wife of Philip Richard Fendall II
Philip Richard Fendall II
Philip Richard Fendall II was an American lawyer and politician. He was born December 18, 1794 at the Lee-Fendall House, located at 614 Oronoco St., Alexandria, Virginia. Fendall matriculated to the College of New Jersey, later known as Princeton University in 1812 where he excelled at forensics...
(1794–1867), the District Attorney of the District of Columbia.
In Popular Culture
In the 1994 alternative history/science fiction novel The Guns of the SouthThe Guns of the South
The Guns of the South is an alternate history novel set during the American Civil War by Harry Turtledove.The story deals with a group of time-travelling Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging members who supply Robert E...
, Brown serves as the running mate to Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
in the 1867 Confederate Presidential Election opposing Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
and Louis Wigfall
Louis Wigfall
Louis Trezevant Wigfall was an American politician from Texas who served as a member of the Texas Legislature, United States Senate, and Confederate Senate. Wigfall was among a group of leading secessionists known as Fire-Eaters, advocating the preservation and expansion of an aristocratic...
, and is elected vice president, but is killed during an assassination attempt against Lee on his inauguration day.
See also
Places named for Albert Brown- Brown County, KansasBrown County, KansasBrown County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 9,984. Its county seat and most populous city is Hiawatha...