Frank B. Brandegee
Encyclopedia
Frank Bosworth Brandegee (July 8, 1864 October 14, 1924) was a United States Representative and Senator
from Connecticut
.
to US Representative Augustus Brandegee
.
Brandegee attended the common school
s, and graduated from Yale College
in 1885, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1888 and practiced in New London. In 1888, he was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
, and was corporation counsel of New London from 1889-1893 and 1894-1897, when he resigned. He was a member of the State house of representatives in 1899, and served as speaker; he was again elected corporation counsel of New London (1901-1902), when he resigned to become a Member of Congress. Brandegee was chairman of the Republican
state convention in 1904, and was elected as a Republican
to the Fifty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles A. Russell. Brandegee was reelected to the Fifty-eighth and Fifty-ninth Congresses and served from November 4, 1902, until May 10, 1905, when he resigned, having been elected a United States Senator to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Orville H. Platt
; to the Senate, he was reelected in 1908, 1914, and 1920, and served from May 10, 1905, until his death at age 60 by suicide
in his Washington, D.C.
home on October 14, 1924. He died by inhaling gas in a seldom used bathroom on the third floor of his home. He left a suicide note for his butler along with $100.
Senator Brandegee was a staunch opponent of America's entry into the League of Nations
.
During his time in the Senate, Brandegee was President pro tempore
(Sixty-second Congress); chairman of the Committee on Forest Reservations and Game Protection (Fifty-ninth through Sixty-first Congresses), member of the Committee on Interoceanic Canals (Sixty-second Congress), Committee on Panama (Sixty-second Congress), member of the Committee on Pacific Railroads (Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses), member of the Committee on Library (Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses), and member of the Committee on Judiciary (Sixty-eighth Congress),
Brandegee was interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery, New London.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Biography
He was born in New London, ConnecticutNew London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
to US Representative Augustus Brandegee
Augustus Brandegee
Augustus Brandegee was an American lawyer and politician who served in the House of Representatives for Connecticut....
.
Brandegee attended the common school
Common school
A common school was a public school in the United States or Canada in the nineteenth century. The term 'common school' was coined by Horace Mann, and refers to the fact that they were meant to serve individuals of all social classes and religions....
s, and graduated from Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in 1885, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1888 and practiced in New London. In 1888, he was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...
, and was corporation counsel of New London from 1889-1893 and 1894-1897, when he resigned. He was a member of the State house of representatives in 1899, and served as speaker; he was again elected corporation counsel of New London (1901-1902), when he resigned to become a Member of Congress. Brandegee was chairman of the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
state convention in 1904, and was elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the Fifty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles A. Russell. Brandegee was reelected to the Fifty-eighth and Fifty-ninth Congresses and served from November 4, 1902, until May 10, 1905, when he resigned, having been elected a United States Senator to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Orville H. Platt
Orville H. Platt
Orville Hitchcock Platt was a United States Senator from Connecticut. Born in Washington, Connecticut, he attended the common schools and graduated from The Gunnery in Washington. He studied law in Litchfield, and was admitted to the bar in 1850, commencing practice in Towanda, Pennsylvania...
; to the Senate, he was reelected in 1908, 1914, and 1920, and served from May 10, 1905, until his death at age 60 by suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in his Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
home on October 14, 1924. He died by inhaling gas in a seldom used bathroom on the third floor of his home. He left a suicide note for his butler along with $100.
Senator Brandegee was a staunch opponent of America's entry into the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
.
During his time in the Senate, Brandegee was President pro tempore
President pro tempore
A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer...
(Sixty-second Congress); chairman of the Committee on Forest Reservations and Game Protection (Fifty-ninth through Sixty-first Congresses), member of the Committee on Interoceanic Canals (Sixty-second Congress), Committee on Panama (Sixty-second Congress), member of the Committee on Pacific Railroads (Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses), member of the Committee on Library (Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses), and member of the Committee on Judiciary (Sixty-eighth Congress),
Brandegee was interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery, New London.