Walter P. Brownlow
Encyclopedia
Walter P. Brownlow served Tennessee
's First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1896 until 1910. Amazingly, a century after his service, the legacy established by Brownlow's Congressional work remains important in the First District. At the time of his death in 1910, the total of federal appropriations secured by Brownlow for his District was estimated at $8 million. No member of Congress, particularly from the South, had previously matched this level of influence over federal appropriations.
Brownlow was born in Abingdon, Virginia
, March 27, 1851 and attended the common schools. He was employed as a telegraph messenger boy when only ten years of age and became an apprentice in the tinning
business at the age of fourteen. Later he became a locomotive engineer
. Brownlow entered upon newspaper work as a reporter for the Knoxville Whig and Chronicle
in 1876. Later in the same year he purchased the Herald and Tribune
in Jonesborough, Tennessee
and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
in 1880, 1884, 1896, 1900, and 1904. He became a Member of the United States House of Representatives
elected as a Republican
to the Fifty-fifth and to the six succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1897, until his death. He was a member of the Board of Managers for the (1902–1910) and died at the National Soldiers’ Home, Johnson City, Tennessee
, July 8, 1910. Walter P. Brownlow is buried at the Mountain Home National Cemetery
in Johnson City, Tennessee
.
, Walter P. Brownlow was a leader who keenly understood the value of constituent services and his career reflects the often wild and wooly political era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
, a post which controlled entry and exit to the House floor, supervised publishing of government documents, and had direct contact with the President as well as Members of Congress. This unique experience allowed him to "hit the ground running" as a Congressman and have extraordinary influence as well as advance his ideas almost immediately upon taking office in 1896. An example of Brownlow's vision was his proposal for a Bureau of Public Roads which was the first bill initiated in Congress for a unified system of national, state and local roads. Congressman Brownlow's concepts helped lay the groundwork for the Veterans Administration
hospital system (established in 1930) and the Bureau of Public Roads (now the Federal Highway Administration
) which was established six years after his death with the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916.
near Johnson City, Tennessee
by an Act of Congress dated January 28, 1901. Forty years after the Civil War, the "Soldiers Home" was developed on an unprecedented scale and modeled after the European tradition of institutions providing care for disabled soldiers of Europe's numerous wars during the 18th and 19th centuries. Remarkably, Brownlow secured the "biggest project that ever came south" somewhat as an act of post-war reconciliation between North and South.
In securing passage of his proposal for the Soldiers Home, Brownlow encountered numerous difficulties. At first the Congressionally appointed Board governing veterans benefits refused to hear him, stating that the policy was to discourage homes established by the federal government and supporting only those developed by the states. Brownlow asked to appear before the Veterans Board for five minutes to present his proposal. He told the Board members of the thousands of men in the South and particularly in the First District of Tennessee that risked their lives and fortunes supporting the Union. Brownlow stated that the federal government had recently approved a large sum of money for the establishment of a prison at Atlanta so that southern prisoners would not suffer the rigors of the cold and unfamiliar northern climate. Brownlow concluded his argument with the point that the old soldiers were certainly entitled to as much consideration as were convicts. At the end of his plea, the Board informed him that the members unanimously endorsed his plan for a million-dollar appropriation.
Brownlow's proposal for a federally funded project of a European scale was unprecedented but his sense of timing was perfect. Creating a 450 acres (1.8 km²) campus, the National Soldiers Home included a hospital, lodging for over 3,000 American Civil War
veterans, a zoo
, a Carnegie library
, two lakes, and numerous other amenities all within a park-like setting that was a tribute to landscape architecture of that era. Today the campus houses a major Veterans Affairs Center as well as the East Tennessee State University College of Medicine and Pharmacy.
On June 30, 2011, the National Soldiers' Home campus in Johnson City, Tennessee was named a National Historic Landmark
.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
's First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1896 until 1910. Amazingly, a century after his service, the legacy established by Brownlow's Congressional work remains important in the First District. At the time of his death in 1910, the total of federal appropriations secured by Brownlow for his District was estimated at $8 million. No member of Congress, particularly from the South, had previously matched this level of influence over federal appropriations.
Brownlow was born in Abingdon, Virginia
Abingdon, Virginia
Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, USA, 133 miles southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County and is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark...
, March 27, 1851 and attended the common schools. He was employed as a telegraph messenger boy when only ten years of age and became an apprentice in the tinning
Tinning
Tinning is the process of thinly coating sheets of wrought iron or steel with tin, and the resulting product is known as tinplate. It is most often used to prevent rust....
business at the age of fourteen. Later he became a locomotive engineer
Locomotive engineer
A locomotive engineer may refer to:*Railroad engineer, a person who operates a locomotive, usually called an engine or train driver outside North America*Locomotive builder, a person who designs and builds locomotives...
. Brownlow entered upon newspaper work as a reporter for the Knoxville Whig and Chronicle
Knoxville Whig
The Whig was a polemical American newspaper published and edited by William G. "Parson" Brownlow in the mid-nineteenth century. As its name implies, the paper's primary purpose was the promotion and defense of Whig Party political figures and ideals...
in 1876. Later in the same year he purchased the Herald and Tribune
Herald & Tribune
Herald & Tribune was established on August 26, 1869. The first issue went to press under the direction of Dr. C. Wheeler and Dr. M.S. Mahoney, the original publishers. The newspaper publishes in Jonesborough, Tennessee....
in Jonesborough, Tennessee
Jonesborough, Tennessee
Jonesborough is a town in and the county seat of Washington County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The population was 4,168 at the 2000 census...
and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
in 1880, 1884, 1896, 1900, and 1904. He became a Member of the United States House of Representatives
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...
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-fifth and to the six succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1897, until his death. He was a member of the Board of Managers for the (1902–1910) and died at the National Soldiers’ Home, Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
, July 8, 1910. Walter P. Brownlow is buried at the Mountain Home National Cemetery
Mountain Home National Cemetery
Mountain Home National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located at Mountain Home, within Johnson City in Washington County, Tennessee...
in Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
.
Family Relations
Nephew of a former Tennessee Governor William Gannaway BrownlowWilliam Gannaway Brownlow
William Gannaway "Parson" Brownlow was an American newspaper editor, minister, and politician who served as Governor of the state of Tennessee from 1865 to 1869 and as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1869 to 1875...
, Walter P. Brownlow was a leader who keenly understood the value of constituent services and his career reflects the often wild and wooly political era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Federal Highway Administration
Prior to being elected to Congress, Brownlow served as Doorkeeper of the United States House of RepresentativesDoorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives
An appointed officer of the United States House of Representatives from 1789 to 1995, the Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives was chosen by a resolution at the opening of each United States Congress. The Office of the Doorkeeper was based on precedent from the Continental...
, a post which controlled entry and exit to the House floor, supervised publishing of government documents, and had direct contact with the President as well as Members of Congress. This unique experience allowed him to "hit the ground running" as a Congressman and have extraordinary influence as well as advance his ideas almost immediately upon taking office in 1896. An example of Brownlow's vision was his proposal for a Bureau of Public Roads which was the first bill initiated in Congress for a unified system of national, state and local roads. Congressman Brownlow's concepts helped lay the groundwork for the Veterans Administration
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
hospital system (established in 1930) and the Bureau of Public Roads (now the Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
) which was established six years after his death with the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916.
Career Pinnacle
The pinnacle of Brownlow's career was the establishment of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer SoldiersNational Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers
The National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was established on March 3, 1865, in the United States by Congress to provide care for volunteer soldiers who had been disabled through loss of limb, wounds, disease, or injury during service in the Union forces in the Civil War...
near Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
by an Act of Congress dated January 28, 1901. Forty years after the Civil War, the "Soldiers Home" was developed on an unprecedented scale and modeled after the European tradition of institutions providing care for disabled soldiers of Europe's numerous wars during the 18th and 19th centuries. Remarkably, Brownlow secured the "biggest project that ever came south" somewhat as an act of post-war reconciliation between North and South.
In securing passage of his proposal for the Soldiers Home, Brownlow encountered numerous difficulties. At first the Congressionally appointed Board governing veterans benefits refused to hear him, stating that the policy was to discourage homes established by the federal government and supporting only those developed by the states. Brownlow asked to appear before the Veterans Board for five minutes to present his proposal. He told the Board members of the thousands of men in the South and particularly in the First District of Tennessee that risked their lives and fortunes supporting the Union. Brownlow stated that the federal government had recently approved a large sum of money for the establishment of a prison at Atlanta so that southern prisoners would not suffer the rigors of the cold and unfamiliar northern climate. Brownlow concluded his argument with the point that the old soldiers were certainly entitled to as much consideration as were convicts. At the end of his plea, the Board informed him that the members unanimously endorsed his plan for a million-dollar appropriation.
Brownlow's proposal for a federally funded project of a European scale was unprecedented but his sense of timing was perfect. Creating a 450 acres (1.8 km²) campus, the National Soldiers Home included a hospital, lodging for over 3,000 American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veterans, a zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
, a Carnegie library
Carnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
, two lakes, and numerous other amenities all within a park-like setting that was a tribute to landscape architecture of that era. Today the campus houses a major Veterans Affairs Center as well as the East Tennessee State University College of Medicine and Pharmacy.
On June 30, 2011, the National Soldiers' Home campus in Johnson City, Tennessee was named a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
See also
- List of United States federal legislation
- Federal-Aid Highway ActFederal-Aid Highway ActThe following bills and Acts of Congress in the United States have been known as the Federal-Aid Highway Act or similar names:*Federal Aid Road Act of 1916: July 11, 1916, ch...
- United States Department of TransportationUnited States Department of TransportationThe United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
- United States Department of Veterans AffairsUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...