Lorenzo Brentano
Encyclopedia
Lorenzo Brentano was a journalist
and a U.S. Representative
from Illinois
.
, Grand Duchy of Baden
, Germany
, Brentano received a thorough classical
training and studied jurisprudence at the Universities of Heidelberg and Freiburg. He practiced before the supreme court of Baden.
Brentano was elected to the Chamber of Deputies and in 1848 to the Frankfurt Parliament
. He served as president of the provisional republic of Baden established by the revolutionists in 1849. He was sentenced to imprisonment for life after the failure of the revolution, but sought refuge in the United States. He settled in Kalamazoo County, Michigan
, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1859. He was admitted to the bar
in 1859 and commenced practice in Chicago. He became editor-in-chief and principal proprietor of the Illinois Staats-Zeitung
. He served as member of the Illinois House of Representatives
in 1862, as a member of the Chicago Board of Education 1862-1868, and as a delegate to the 1864 Republican National Convention
. In 1868 he was presidential elector
on the Grant
and Colfax
ticket.
In 1869, a general amnesty having been granted to the revolutionists of 1849
, he revisited his native land. He was appointed United States consul at Dresden
in 1872 and served until April 1876. Brentano's son Theodore
would become the first American ambassador to Hungary
.
Brentano was elected as a Republican
to the Forty-fifth
Congress (March 4, 1877-March 3, 1879). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1878. After leaving Congress, he engaged in literary and historical research designed to compare and contrast the American and European codes of criminal procedure. In this line of work he published a report of the trial of the assassin of President Garfield, and a history of the celebrated case of Kring v. Missouri (see List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 107). He died in Chicago, and was interred in Graceland Cemetery
.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and a U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Biography
Born as Lorenz Peter Carl Brentano in MannheimMannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Grand Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Brentano received a thorough classical
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
training and studied jurisprudence at the Universities of Heidelberg and Freiburg. He practiced before the supreme court of Baden.
Brentano was elected to the Chamber of Deputies and in 1848 to the Frankfurt Parliament
Frankfurt Parliament
The Frankfurt Assembly was the first freely elected parliament for all of Germany. Session was held from May 18, 1848 to May 31, 1849 in the Paulskirche at Frankfurt am Main...
. He served as president of the provisional republic of Baden established by the revolutionists in 1849. He was sentenced to imprisonment for life after the failure of the revolution, but sought refuge in the United States. He settled in Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Kalamazoo County, Michigan
-Air Service:*The Kalamazoo & Battle Creek Metro Area is served by Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.-Interstates:* I-94* I-94 Business Loop-US highways:* US-131* BUS US 131-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-43* M-89* M-96...
, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1859. He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in 1859 and commenced practice in Chicago. He became editor-in-chief and principal proprietor of the Illinois Staats-Zeitung
Illinois Staats-Zeitung
Illinois Staats-Zeitung was a German-language newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. The newspaper was founded in April 1848 as a weekly, and became a daily in 1851. The newspaper had as its main ambition to maintain the use of the German language. Along with the Westliche Post and Anzeiger des...
. He served as member of the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
in 1862, as a member of the Chicago Board of Education 1862-1868, and as a delegate to the 1864 Republican National Convention
1864 Republican National Convention
The 1864 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from June 7 to June 8, 1864 in Baltimore, Maryland....
. In 1868 he was presidential elector
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
on the Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
and Colfax
Schuyler Colfax
Schuyler Colfax, Jr. was a United States Representative from Indiana , Speaker of the House of Representatives , and the 17th Vice President of the United States . To date, he is one of only two Americans to have served as both House speaker and vice president.President Ulysses S...
ticket.
In 1869, a general amnesty having been granted to the revolutionists of 1849
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
, he revisited his native land. He was appointed United States consul at Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
in 1872 and served until April 1876. Brentano's son Theodore
Theodore Brentano
Theodore Brentano was an American attorney and judge and the first U.S. ambassador to Hungary . He was appointed to the position by Warren G. Harding....
would become the first American ambassador to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
Brentano 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 Forty-fifth
45th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:-Leadership:-Senate:*President: William A. Wheeler *President pro tempore: Thomas W. Ferry -House of Representatives:*Speaker: Samuel J. Randall -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
Congress (March 4, 1877-March 3, 1879). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1878. After leaving Congress, he engaged in literary and historical research designed to compare and contrast the American and European codes of criminal procedure. In this line of work he published a report of the trial of the assassin of President Garfield, and a history of the celebrated case of Kring v. Missouri (see List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 107). He died in Chicago, and was interred in Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery is a large Victorian era cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park Road...
.