Joseph E. Brown

Joseph Emerson Brown (April 15, 1821–November 30, 1894), often referred to as Joe Brown, was a Governor of Georgia from 1857 to 1865, and a U.S. Senator from 1880 to 1891. During the American Civil War, Brown, a former Whig, had constant disagreements with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, whom he saw as an incipient tyrant.

Related Topics:
April 15 - 1821 - November 30 - 1894 - Governor of Georgia - 1857 - 1865 - U.S. Senator - 1880 - 1891 - American Civil War - Whig - Confederate - President - Jefferson Davis - Tyrant

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Brown was born in South Carolina. He was elected to the Georgia state senate in 1849 and soon became a leader of the Democratic Party in Georgia. He was elected state circut court judge in 1855 and governor in 1857. As a governor, he was a strong supporter of secession from the United States after Abraham Lincoln's election and South Carolina's succession. When the Confederate States of America was established, Brown spoke out against the military draft as a over-reaching of the Confederate State's central powers, targeting Davis in particular. As William T. Sherman overran much of Georgia in 1864, Brown called for an end to the Civil War. After the war, he spent some time as a political prisoner in Washington, D.C., then was released. He was chief justice of the supreme court of Georgia from 1865 to 1870, when he resigned to become president of the Western and Atlantic Railroad. He supported President Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction policy, becoming a member of the Republican Party for a time. After Reconstruction, he became a Democrat again and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1880. He was re-elected in 1885, but resigned in 1891 due to poor health. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery.

Related Topics:
South Carolina - Democratic Party - Secession - Abraham Lincoln - Draft - William T. Sherman - 1864 - Washington, D.C. - 1870 - Western and Atlantic Railroad - Andrew Johnson - Reconstruction - Republican Party - Oakland Cemetery

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