James Brown (Senator)
Encyclopedia
James Brown was a lawyer, U.S. Senator from Louisiana
and Minister to France
. He was the brother of John Brown
, the cousin of John Breckinridge
, James Breckinridge
and Francis Preston
, the brother-in-law of Henry Clay
, the uncle of James Brown Clay
, Henry Clay, Jr.
, John Morrison Clay
, the great uncle of B. Gratz Brown
and the cousin-in-law of Thomas Hart Benton
.
, Brown attended Washington College (later Washington and Lee University
) in Lexington, Virginia
, and William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia
. He read law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Frankfort, Kentucky
. Brown commanded a company of sharpshooters in an expedition against the Indians in 1789. His wife was Ann "Nancy" Hart, sister of Lucretia Hart Clay, wife of Henry Clay.
, the first governor of Kentucky
, nominated Brown as Secretary of State
; he was confirmed by the state senate
and served until October 13, 1796. Soon after the cession of the Territory of Louisiana, Brown moved to New Orleans
and was appointed as secretary of the Territory in 1804. He served from October 1 to December 11 of that year, when he became United States district attorney for the Territory.
Brown was one of the wealthiest slave owners on the German Coast, where his substantial plantation produced sugar through the use of forced labor.
In January 1811, some slaves from James Brown's plantations outside the city rebelled, joining the 1811 German Coast Uprising
, including the notorious Kook, one of the leaders of the insurrection. It was the largest slave rebellion in US history, but short lived, and the slaves killed only two white men. In the aftermath of confrontation with the militia and executions after trials, ninety-five blacks were killed. Some of the men were from Haiti, brought to the US by white refugees. Other were from Africa.
Brown was elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate on December 1, 1812, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jean N. Destréhan
, and served from February 5, 1813, to March 3, 1817. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection, but again elected to the United States Senate in 1819, as an Adams-Clay Republican. He served from March 4, 1819, until December 10, 1823, when he resigned. During his tenure, Brown was the chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations (Sixteenth Congress).
Brown was appointed United States Minister to France
1823-1829. After his return to the United States, he settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
He died there in 1835 and was buried at Christ Church, Philadelphia
, the church of statesmen.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and Minister to France
United States Ambassador to France
This article is about the United States Ambassador to France. There has been a United States Ambassador to France since the American Revolution. The United States sent its first envoys to France in 1776, towards the end of the four-centuries-old Bourbon dynasty...
. He was the brother of John Brown
John Brown (Kentucky)
John Brown was an American lawyer and statesman heavily involved with creating the State of Kentucky.Brown represented Virginia in the Continental Congress and the U.S. Congress . While in Congress, he introduced the bill granting Statehood to Kentucky. Once that was accomplished, he was elected...
, the cousin of John Breckinridge
John Breckinridge (1760-1806)
John Breckinridge was a United States Senator and Attorney General. He was the progenitor of the Breckinridge political family.-Early Life in Virginia:...
, James Breckinridge
James Breckinridge
James Breckinridge was a Virginia lawyer and politician. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates, as well as the U.S. House of Representatives. He also fought in the American Revolutionary War and served as a brigadier-general during the War of 1812.-Family and early life:Breckinridge was...
and Francis Preston
Francis Preston
Francis Preston was an American lawyer and politician from Abingdon, Virginia. He served in both houses of the state legislature and represented Virginia in the U.S...
, the brother-in-law of Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
, the uncle of James Brown Clay
James Brown Clay
James Brown Clay was a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky....
, Henry Clay, Jr.
Henry Clay, Jr.
Henry Clay, Jr. was an American politician and soldier from Kentucky, the third son of US Senator and Congressman Henry Clay and Lucretia Hart Clay. He was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1835 and served one term...
, John Morrison Clay
John Morrison Clay
John Morrison Clay was a Kentucky thoroughbred breeder, a son of statesman Henry Clay, and a husband of Josephine Russell Clay and the brother of Henry Clay, Jr. and James Brown Clay. He was also called John M. Clay.Upon his father’s death, Clay inherited a portion of the large estate, Ashland...
, the great uncle of B. Gratz Brown
B. Gratz Brown
Benjamin Gratz Brown was an American politician. He was a Senator, the 20th Governor of Missouri, and the Liberal Republican and Democratic Party Vice presidential candidate in the presidential election of 1872.-Early life:...
and the cousin-in-law of Thomas Hart Benton
Thomas Hart Benton (senator)
Thomas Hart Benton , nicknamed "Old Bullion", was a U.S. Senator from Missouri and a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States. He served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851, becoming the first member of that body to serve five terms...
.
Early life and education
Born near Staunton, VirginiaStaunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
, Brown attended Washington College (later Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
) in Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
, and William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
. He read law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
. Brown commanded a company of sharpshooters in an expedition against the Indians in 1789. His wife was Ann "Nancy" Hart, sister of Lucretia Hart Clay, wife of Henry Clay.
Career
Brown served as secretary to the Virginia Governor in 1792. On June 5, 1792, Isaac ShelbyIsaac Shelby
Isaac Shelby was the first and fifth Governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina. He was also a soldier in Lord Dunmore's War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812...
, the first governor of Kentucky
Governor of Kentucky
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
, nominated Brown as Secretary of State
Secretary of State of Kentucky
The Secretary of State of Kentucky is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is now an elected office, but was an appointed office prior to 1891. The current Secretary of State is Democrat Elaine Walker, who was appointed by Governor Steve Beshear to fulfill the...
; he was confirmed by the state senate
Kentucky Senate
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators...
and served until October 13, 1796. Soon after the cession of the Territory of Louisiana, Brown moved to New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and was appointed as secretary of the Territory in 1804. He served from October 1 to December 11 of that year, when he became United States district attorney for the Territory.
Brown was one of the wealthiest slave owners on the German Coast, where his substantial plantation produced sugar through the use of forced labor.
In January 1811, some slaves from James Brown's plantations outside the city rebelled, joining the 1811 German Coast Uprising
1811 German Coast Uprising
The 1811 German Coast Uprising was a slave revolt that took place in parts of the Territory of Orleans on January 8–10, 1811. The revolt took place on the east coast of the Mississippi River in what are now St. John the Baptist and St. Charles Parishes, Louisiana. While the slave insurgency was...
, including the notorious Kook, one of the leaders of the insurrection. It was the largest slave rebellion in US history, but short lived, and the slaves killed only two white men. In the aftermath of confrontation with the militia and executions after trials, ninety-five blacks were killed. Some of the men were from Haiti, brought to the US by white refugees. Other were from Africa.
Brown was elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate on December 1, 1812, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jean N. Destréhan
Jean N. Destréhan
Jean Noel Destréhan was a Creole politician in Louisiana and one-time owner of Destréhan Plantation, one of Louisiana's most famous antebellum historical landmarks. The city of Destrehan, Louisiana is named after him....
, and served from February 5, 1813, to March 3, 1817. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection, but again elected to the United States Senate in 1819, as an Adams-Clay Republican. He served from March 4, 1819, until December 10, 1823, when he resigned. During his tenure, Brown was the chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations (Sixteenth Congress).
Brown was appointed United States Minister to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
1823-1829. After his return to the United States, he settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
He died there in 1835 and was buried at Christ Church, Philadelphia
Christ Church, Philadelphia
Christ Church is an Episcopal church located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1695 by members of the Church of England, who built a small wooden church on the site by the next year. When the congregation outgrew this structure some twenty years later, they decided to erect a new...
, the church of statesmen.