Gerard Brandon
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Gerard Chittocque Brandon (September 15, 1788March 28, 1850) was an American political leader who twice served as
Governor of Mississippi The governor of Mississippi is the head of government of Mississippi and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Mississippi National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either appro ...
during its early years of statehood. He was the first native-born governor of Mississippi. He was a delegate to the constitutional conventions of 1817 and 1832. He served as Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1822. As
Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi The lieutenant governor of Mississippi is the second-highest ranking elected executive officer in the U.S. state of Mississippi, below the governor of Mississippi, and is the only official in the state to be a member of two branches of state gov ...
he served as President of the Mississippi Senate. When
Walter Leake Walter Daniel Leake (May 20, 1762November 17, 1825) was a judge, U.S. senator, and governor of Mississippi. He served as a United States Senator from Mississippi (1817–1820), as a justice in 1821, and as third Governor of Mississippi (1822â ...
died in 1825 he became governor. He also succeeded David Holmes who resigned in 1826 due to ill health. He was elected to the office in 1827 and again in 1829.
Brandon, Mississippi Brandon is a city in and the county seat of Rankin County, Mississippi, United States. It was incorporated on December 19, 1831. The population was 25,138 as of the 2020 census. A suburb of Jackson, Brandon is part of the Jackson Metropolitan ...
is named for him.


Early life and education

Gerard Brandon was the son of an Irish immigrant, Gerard Chittocque Brandon, who established and ran the Selma Plantation in Adams County, Mississippi, and Dorothy Nugent, the daughter of Irish immigrants Matthew Nugent and Isabel MacBray. The couple moved to Mississippi from South Carolina sometime in 1785. Brandon was born September 15, 1788, in
Natchez Natchez may refer to: Places * Natchez, Alabama, United States * Natchez, Indiana, United States * Natchez, Louisiana, United States * Natchez, Mississippi, a city in southwestern Mississippi, United States ** Natchez slave market, Mississippi * ...
, in the
Territory of Mississippi The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...
, the second child and first son of the family. He was educated at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
and the
College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...
and served in the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. He later practiced law at
Washington, Mississippi Washington is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Adams County, Mississippi, Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Located along the lower Mississippi River, Mississippi, east of Natchez, Mississippi, Natchez, it was the sec ...
and was a successful planter, following his father's footsteps, in Adams County, Mississippi. He married Margaret Chambers on January 18, 1816, in Bardstown, Kentucky. In 1817 Gerard Brandon bought Windy Hill Manor. At his death, Windy Hill Manor was inherited by his daughter, Elizabeth, who married William Stanton. Elizabeth and William's descendants lived at Windy Hill Manor until the 1940s. The last in the line were three unmarried sisters, Elizabeth, Maude, and Beatrice. When the last sister died in 1945, the house sat abandoned until 1965, when it was demolished. After Margaret Chambers's death in June 1820, Gerard Brandon married Betsy Stanton on July 12, 1824, in Adams County, Mississippi. The governor had a total of eight children with his two wives. Brandon died at 61 on March 28, 1850, and was buried in a private family cemetery at his Columbian Springs Plantation in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. A slaveholder himself, he said he considered slavery an evil; his son, however, possessed a fortune in human property, including the kidnapped Henrietta Wood.


Political life

Brandon, a delegate to the constitutional conventions of 1817 and 1832, helped draft Mississippi's first two constitutions. He served in the
Mississippi Legislature The Mississippi Legislature is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the Lower house, lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and ...
and was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1822. In 1825, Brandon became
governor of Mississippi The governor of Mississippi is the head of government of Mississippi and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Mississippi National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either appro ...
for the first time upon the death of
Walter Leake Walter Daniel Leake (May 20, 1762November 17, 1825) was a judge, U.S. senator, and governor of Mississippi. He served as a United States Senator from Mississippi (1817–1820), as a justice in 1821, and as third Governor of Mississippi (1822â ...
, serving from Leake's death on November 17, 1825, until January 7, 1826, when David Holmes, the last territorial governor and first governor of the
State State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
of
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
was again inaugurated as governor. Brandon became acting governor of Mississippi again on July 25, 1826 when Governor David Holmes resigned due to ill health. Brandon served until January 9, 1832, being reelected in the 1827 election and 1829 election. Gerard Brandon served as governor during an era known as the "Flush Times," an era of expanded settlement and development in Mississippi and the surrounding areas. During his administration, the finalization of two Indian land sessions opened millions of acres of land to settlement, beginning the development of the
cotton industry Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ce ...
that would define Mississippi's economy in the coming years. Governor Brandon oversaw the expansion of transportation in the infrastructure to connect the new agricultural land, as well as the construction of public schools and the chartering of Mississippi's first railroad. During Brandon's administration, political and economic changes, including the creation of several new counties (
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
,
Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...
, Rankin, and Lowndes) and the expansion of suffrage to all white males, induced the populace to vote in favor of a constitutional convention to replace Mississippi's Constitution of 1817. After his term as governor ended, Brandon served as a delegate to the 1831 Constitutional Convention for Adams County. He then lived as a private citizen until his death in 1850.
Brandon, Mississippi Brandon is a city in and the county seat of Rankin County, Mississippi, United States. It was incorporated on December 19, 1831. The population was 25,138 as of the 2020 census. A suburb of Jackson, Brandon is part of the Jackson Metropolitan ...
, the county seat of Rankin County, is named after Gerard Brandon.


References

*
The Brandon Children
Specificall

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandon, Gerard 1788 births 1850 deaths College of William & Mary alumni Democratic Party governors of Mississippi People from Natchez, Mississippi Princeton University alumni American military personnel of the War of 1812 Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Mississippi lawyers People from Washington, Mississippi Speakers of the Mississippi House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature