Bedford Brown
| Bedford Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from North Carolina | |
| In office December 9, 1829 – November 16, 1840 | |
| Preceded by | John Branch |
| Succeeded by | Willie P. Mangum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 6, 1795 Caswell County, North Carolina |
| Died | December 6, 1870 (aged 75) Caswell County, North Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
Bedford Brown (June 6, 1795 – December 6, 1870) was a Democratic United States Senator from the State of North Carolina between 1829 and 1840.
Biography
Bedford Brown was born in what now is Locust Hill Township, Caswell County, North Carolina. His parents were Jethro Brown and Lucy Williamson Brown. After attending the University of North Carolina for one year, Brown was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons.
On July 13, 1816, Brown married Mary Lumpkin Glenn. The couple had seven children.
In 1828, upon the death of Bartlett Yancey, Jr., Brown was chosen in a special election to replace Yancey in the North Carolina Senate. Like Bartlett Yancey, Jr., before him, Brown was elected Speaker of the North Carolina Senate.
In 1829, he was elected as a Jacksonian (the party that would become the Democratic Party) to succeed John Branch as a United States Senator from North Carolina. In the Senate, he chaired several committees, including the Agriculture Committee. Brown resigned his seat in 1840 due to a dispute with the state legislature. He was elected to the state Senate again in 1842, before spending some years out of the state.
Leading up to the Civil War, Brown, a state senator again from 1858 to 1860, counseled in favor of North Carolina's remaining in the Union. However, after President Lincoln requested troops from North Carolina to serve in the Union Army, Brown, along with most of his colleagues, supported secession.
In 1868 Brown, still a Democrat, was again elected to the North Carolina Senate. However, the Reconstruction Republicans controlled the North Carolina Legislature and refused to seat Brown. He was replaced by Republican John W. Stephens.
Brown was buried on the grounds at Rose Hill just outside Yanceyville, North Carolina.
Footnotes
Further reading
- H.G. Jones, "Bedford Brown" in William S. Powell (ed.), Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1979; pp. 240-241.
- Houston G. Jones, "Bedford Brown: States' Rights Unionist," North Carolina Historical Review, vol. 32 (1955).
External links
- Bedford Brown at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Bedford Brown profile - Caswell County Historical Association.
| United States Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Branch |
U.S. Senator (Class 2) from North Carolina 1829–1840 Served alongside: James Iredell, Jr., Willie P. Mangum, Robert Strange |
Succeeded by Willie P. Mangum |
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