Augustus Brandegee
Encyclopedia
Augustus Brandegee was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 lawyer and politician who served in the 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...

 for 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...

.

Brandegee was the son of a New Orleans cotton broker. His first place of education was the Union Academy in New London. Following this, he was sent to Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

 and entered Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...

 in 1845. At Yale he was elected membership to Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...

 and 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 was graduated in 1849, and spent the next year in study at Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...

.

In 1850 he entered the law office of Andrew C. Lippitt and after admission to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...

 in 1851 entered a partnership with Mr. Lippitt. He continued the practice of law until 1854, when he was chosen to represent the town of New London in 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...

. Although a young member of the house, he was selected as a member of the judiciary committee. He was also chairman of the select committee to carry through the "bill for the defense of liberty," which was aimed at preventing the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law in 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...

. Later, Brandegee chaired the committee on the Maine Law
Maine law
The Maine law, passed in 1851 in Maine, was one of the first statutory implementations of the developing temperance movement in the United States.-History:Temperance activist Neal Dow helped craft this law...

, and was responsible for passing the only propitiatory liquor law ever passed in Connecticut.

In 1855 he returned to the practice of law, and was elected judge of New Haven's criminal court. During this time Brandegee began speaking in many towns on slavery issues. He was chosen as one of the electors of Connecticut on a ticket headed by former Governor, Roger Sherman Baldwin
Roger Sherman Baldwin
Roger Sherman Baldwin was an American lawyer involved in the Amistad case, who later became the 17th Governor of Connecticut and a United States Senator.-Early life:...

.

Brandegee was again elected to the Connecticut house as a Republican in 1858 to represent New London. He was elected again in 1859, but declined the office the following year on the account of the death of his father. The following year he was elected to the house again, this time being chosen as speaker of the house. During this first "War" session of the house, Brandegee managed to keep favour with both Democrats and Republicans. At the end of the year, fellow Bonesman
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....

 and leader of the opposition, Henry C. Deming
Henry C. Deming
Henry Champion Deming was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut.-Early life:Born in Colchester, Connecticut, Deming pursued classical studies...

 presented him with a service of silver.

During the Civil War, Brandegee was active in supporting the Union cause. He travelled all over 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...

 addressing meetings, raising troops and arousing public sentiment. In 1863 he was elected to Congress from the 3rd district of Connecticut. Although the youngest member of the house, he was selected as a member of the committee on naval affairs, and later to the important committee on military affairs. Brandegee was also on the committee of naval accounts, and chairman of a special committee on a post and military route from New York to Washington. In 1864, Brandegee was a member of the Connecticut delegation to the National Republican Convention in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

, which re-nominated President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

, and nominated Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...

 for the Vice Presidency
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...

. Brandegee continued in congress throughout the reconstruction, and was regularly in the company of President Lincoln. Two years later he was at the Loyalist Convention at Philadelphia. He didn't stand for re-election to Congress in 1866, his term expired in January 1867.

In 1871 he was nominated for the office of mayor of New London
New 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....

, against his wishes. He laid down the office after two years, to give more time to the practice of law. He was Chairman of the Connecticut delegation to the National Republican Convention in 1880 and 1884.

In 1892 he was a founding partner of the firm Noyes & Brandegee, which was one of the leading firms in New London. As a favourite in the Republican party, his fellow Republicans had tried to convince him to run for Governor or Senator, but Brandegee declined any further offices. Although, he served as corporation counsel of New London in 1897 and 1898. He died in 1904.

At a special meeting of the superior court on December 31, 1904, Judge George D. Stanton said of Brandegee:
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