John Green Brady
Encyclopedia
John Green Brady (May 25, 1847 – December 17, 1918) was an American politician who was the Governor of the District of Alaska
from 1897 to 1906, when he was forced to resign due to his involvement with the fraudulent Reynolds–Alaska Development Company. He was born in New York City.
a well-known and popular New York City philanthropist and the father of future US 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt
. Many years later, as an adult, Brady would approach the younger Theodore Roosevelt
then governor of New York, in 1900, at a conference in Portland, Oregon, warmly shake his hand and tell him the following story:
After being picked from the Orphan Train
he lived with the family of John Green
, of Tipton County, Indiana
. He married Elizabeth Jane Patton in 1887 in Sitka, Alaska. Children: John Green Brady Jr., Hugh P. Brady, Sheldon Jackson Brady, Mary Anna Brady and Elizabeth P. Brady. He attended Yale University
and graduated in 1874.
as a school for training Alaska Natives
in 1878. Later he would be appointed Governor for three terms. He was introduced to the infamous Alaskan bad man Soapy Smith
during the July 4, 1898 festivities in Skagway
. Brady was made aware of Soapy's criminal activities and offered him a position as a deputy U.S. marshal in Sitka if he would quit Skagway. Soapy turned down the position and Brady noted it in a personal letter. Four days after meeting him, Soapy was killed in the famed Shootout on Juneau Wharf
.
Brady died on December 17, 1918 and was buried in Sitka National Cemetery
in Sitka, Alaska. He was interred in Section R, Plot 4 in December 1918. The monument at his grave bears the inscription: "A life ruled by faith in God and Man."
District of Alaska
The District of Alaska was the governmental designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884 to August 24, 1912, when it became Alaska Territory. Previously it had been known as the Department of Alaska. At the time, legislators in Washington, D.C., were occupied with post-Civil War reconstruction issues,...
from 1897 to 1906, when he was forced to resign due to his involvement with the fraudulent Reynolds–Alaska Development Company. He was born in New York City.
Childhood in New York City
Brady was orphaned at an early age and found living on the streets of New York City by Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.
Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. was the father of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and the paternal grandfather of American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. He was the son of Cornelius Van Schaak Roosevelt and Margaret Barnhill...
a well-known and popular New York City philanthropist and the father of future US 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. Many years later, as an adult, Brady would approach the younger Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
then governor of New York, in 1900, at a conference in Portland, Oregon, warmly shake his hand and tell him the following story:
- "Governor Roosevelt, the other governors have greeted you with interest, simply as a fellow governor and a great American. but I greet you with infinitely more interest, as the son of your father, the first Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt, Sr.Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. was the father of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and the paternal grandfather of American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. He was the son of Cornelius Van Schaak Roosevelt and Margaret Barnhill...
." When greeted warmly by Governor Roosevelt and asked why and in what special way he had been interested in his father, Governor Brady replied, "Your father picked me up on the streets of New York, a waif and an orphan, and sent me to a Western family, paying for my transportation and early care. Years passed and I was able to repay the money which had given me my start in life, but I can never repay what he did for me, for it was through that early care and by giving me such a foster mother and father that I gradually rose in the world until I greet his son as a fellow governor of a part of our great country."
After being picked from the Orphan Train
Orphan Train
The Orphan Train was a social experiment that transported children from crowded coastal cities of the United States to the country's Midwest for adoption. The orphan trains ran between 1854 and 1929, relocating an estimated 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children...
he lived with the family of John Green
John Green (Judge)
John Green was an Indiana lawyer, judge and politician. A staunch Republican, he served as a member of the Indiana State Senate , as a common pleas court judge , and as an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention .-Early life and education:John Green was born to James and Catherine...
, of Tipton County, Indiana
Tipton County, Indiana
Tipton County is located in central Indiana, north of the state capital of Indianapolis. Before the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in the early 19th century, the area was inhabited by several Native American tribes. The county was officially established in 1844 and was one of the last Indiana...
. He married Elizabeth Jane Patton in 1887 in Sitka, Alaska. Children: John Green Brady Jr., Hugh P. Brady, Sheldon Jackson Brady, Mary Anna Brady and Elizabeth P. Brady. He attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and graduated in 1874.
District of Alaska
Brady moved to Alaska Territory first as a Presbyterian minister, missionary, lawyer and co-founded what is now Sheldon Jackson CollegeSheldon Jackson College
Sheldon Jackson College was a small private college located on Baranof Island in Sitka, Alaska, United States. Founded in 1878, it was the oldest institution of higher learning in Alaska and maintained a historic relationship with the Presbyterian Church. The college was named in honor of Rev...
as a school for training Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
in 1878. Later he would be appointed Governor for three terms. He was introduced to the infamous Alaskan bad man Soapy Smith
Soapy Smith
Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith II was an American con artist and gangster who had a major hand in the organized criminal operations of Denver, Colorado; Creede, Colorado; and Skagway, Alaska, from 1879 to 1898. He was killed in the famed Shootout on Juneau Wharf...
during the July 4, 1898 festivities in Skagway
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. It was formerly a city first incorporated in 1900 that was re-incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862...
. Brady was made aware of Soapy's criminal activities and offered him a position as a deputy U.S. marshal in Sitka if he would quit Skagway. Soapy turned down the position and Brady noted it in a personal letter. Four days after meeting him, Soapy was killed in the famed Shootout on Juneau Wharf
Shootout on Juneau Wharf
The Shootout on Juneau Wharf was a gunfight that occurred at about 9:15 PM on Friday, July 8, 1898, in Skagway, District of Alaska, in the United States.-Background:...
.
Brady died on December 17, 1918 and was buried in Sitka National Cemetery
Sitka National Cemetery
Sitka National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Sitka, Alaska. It encompasses 4.3 acres , and as of the end of 2005 had 1,049 interments. It is administered by Fort Richardson National Cemetery.- History :...
in Sitka, Alaska. He was interred in Section R, Plot 4 in December 1918. The monument at his grave bears the inscription: "A life ruled by faith in God and Man."