Thomas Bragg (November 9, 1810January 21, 1872) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 34th Governor of the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

from 1855 through 1859. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he served in the Confederate States Cabinet. He was the older brother of

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Western ...

. They were direct descendants of Thomas Bragg (1579–1665) who was born in England and settled in the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...

. Born in

Warrenton, North Carolina Warrenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Warren County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 862 at the 2010 census. Warrenton, now served by U.S. routes 158 and 401, was founded in 1779. It became one of the wealthiest towns ...

, to a middle-class, slaveowning family, Bragg attended Warrenton Academy and later graduated from Captain Partridge’s American Literary, Scientific & Military Academy (now known as Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont). He was admitted to the bar in 1833 and commenced practice in

Jackson, North Carolina Jackson is a town in Northampton County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 513 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County. Jackson is part of the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

. He was a member of the North Carolina General Assembly from 1842 to 1843 and became the prosecuting attorney for Northampton County. He successfully ran for governor of North Carolina and served from 1855 to 1859. He then took a seat in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, serving from 1859 until the start of the

in 1861. He served as chairman of the Committee on Claims in the

thirty-sixth congress The 36th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1859, ...

. He resigned and was expelled for siding with the Confederacy. Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed Bragg Attorney General of the

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

; he served from 1861 until his resignation in 1862. In 1870, Bragg served as special counsel in the impeachment proceedings of Governor William Woods Holden, related to the latter's efforts to curb the influence of the Ku Klux Klan in Reconstruction-era North Carolina. He continued to practice law until his death in 1872, and was also chairman of the central executive committee of the North Carolina Democratic Party (then called the Democratic-Conservative Party) as of 1870. He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...

. His home at Jackson, the Amis-Bragg House, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2003.

References

Bibliography

* , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bragg, Thomas 1810 births 1872 deaths Burials at Historic Oakwood Cemetery Executive members of the Cabinet of the Confederate States of America 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party United States senators from North Carolina Expelled United States senators Democratic Party governors of North Carolina Bragg family Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina Democratic Party chairs North Carolina lawyers Norwich University alumni People from Warrenton, North Carolina

See also

References

Bibliography