Gerard Chittocque Brandon (September 15, 1788March 28, 1850) was an American politician leader who twice served as

Governor of Mississippi A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

during its early years of statehood. He was the first native-born governor of Mississippi.

Early life and education

Gerard Brandon was the son of 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, in the

Territory of Mississippi The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the western half of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Mississippi. T ...

, the second child and first son of the family. He was educated at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...

and the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William II ...

, and served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

. He later practiced law at

Washington, Mississippi Washington is an unincorporated community in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Located along the lower Mississippi, east of Natchez, it was the second and longest-serving capital of the Mississippi Territory. History This area along th ...

and was a successful planter, following his father's footsteps, in Adams County, Mississippi. Windy Hill Manor, Natchez vic

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 the age of 61, on March 28, 1850 and was buried in a private family cemetery at his Columbian Springs Plantation in Wilkinson County, Mississippi.

Political life

A delegate to the constitutional conventions of 1817 and 1832, Gerard Brandon also helped draft Mississippi's first two constitutions. He served in the

Mississippi Legislature The Mississippi Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and the upper Mississippi State Senate, with 52 ...

and was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1822. Brandon became

governor of Mississippi A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

for the first time upon the death of

Walter Leake Walter Daniel Leake (May 20, 1762November 6, 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 (1822– ...

, 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 may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

was again inaugurated as governor. Brandon became governor of Mississippi again on July 25, 1826 and served until January 9, 1832. A slaveholder himself, he said he considered slavery an evil; his son, however, possessed a fortune in human property, including the kidnapped Henrietta Wood.

References

Mississippi History Now
''Gerard Chittocque Brandon Fourth and Sixth Governor of Mississippi: 1825–1826;1826–1832''. Mississippi Historical Society
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 19th-century American politicians People from Washington, Mississippi