Guy Morrison Bryan (January 12, 1821June 4, 1901) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Biography

Bryan was born in

Herculaneum Herculaneum is an ancient Rome, ancient Roman town located in the modern-day ''comune'' of Ercolano, Campania, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under a massive pyroclastic flow in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Like the nearby city of ...

in the

Missouri Territory The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812, until August 10, 1821. In 1819, the Territory of Arkansas was created from a portion of its southern area. In 1821, a southe ...

on January 12, 1821. His family moved to the Mexican State of Texas in 1831, and settled near San Felipe. The extended Bryan family later settled in

Brazoria County Brazoria County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 372,031. The county seat is Angleton. Brazoria County is included in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan stat ...

, and his parents operated a sugar plantation called Peach Point. Guy Bryan attended the private school of Thomas Pilgrim in Columbia, Texas, joined the Texas Army in 1836, and took part in the

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

. In 1842 Bryan graduated from

Kenyon College Kenyon College ( ) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private instituti ...

Gambier, Ohio Gambier ( ) is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,213 at the 2020 census. Gambier is the home of Kenyon College. History Gambier was laid out in 1824. The village was named after one of Kenyon College's early ...

. He studied law, but never practiced, instead becoming a sugar planter in

. His college classmates included

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...

, and Hayes visited Bryan at his plantation in 1848. Bryan served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

as a private in the Brazoria company commanded by Captain Samuel Ballowe. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

Bryan sided with the Confederacy, and served as volunteer aide-de-camp on the staff of

Paul Octave Hébert Paul Octave Hébert (December 12, 1818 – August 29, 1880) was a soldier and politician who served as List of Governors of Louisiana, 14th Governor of Louisiana from 1853 to 1856. A veteran of the Mexican–American War, Mexican-American War, ...

, afterwards serving as assistant adjutant general of the

Trans-Mississippi Department The Trans-Mississippi Department was a territorial department of the Confederate States Army that embraced Arkansas, Louisiana west of the Mississippi river, Texas (including what is now New Mexico and Arizona), and the Indian Territory. It w ...

with the rank of major. He established a cotton bureau in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas in order to escape the Union blockade along the Gulf. After the war Bryan moved to

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

(1872), Quintana (1890), and

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

(1898). He was again a member of the Texas House of Representatives in 1873, 1879, and 1887 to 1891, and he served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

in 1873. Bryan was elected president of the Texas Veterans Association in 1892 and served until his death in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, June 4, 1901. He was interred in the

Texas State Cemetery The Texas State Cemetery (TSC) is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, downtown Austin, Texas, Austin, the Capital (political), capital of the U.S. state of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revo ...

Politics

He was a delegate to the

1856 Democratic National Convention The 1856 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from June 2 to June 6 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1856 election ...

. Bryan was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Thirty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1858. He served as chairman of the Texas delegation to the

1860 Democratic National Convention The 1860 Democratic National Conventions were a series of presidential nominating conventions held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The first convention, held from April 23 ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Texas legislature terms

* House of Representatives ** Representative of the Texas House of Representatives, Brazoria district from December 13, 1847 – November 5, 1849. ** Representative of the Texas House of Representatives, District 27 from November 5, 1849 – November 3, 1851 ** Representative of the Texas House of Representatives, District 35 from November 3, 1851 – November 7, 1853 ** Representative of the Texas House of Representatives, District 12 from January 13, 1874 – April 18, 1876 ** Representative of the Texas House of Representatives, District 35 from January 14, 1879 – January 11, 1881 ** Representative of the Texas House of Representatives, District 64 from May 2, 1888 – January 13, 1891 * Senate ** Senator of the Texas Senate, District 24 from November 7, 1853 – November 2, 1857

Family

His mother was Emily Austin Perry and his father was James Bryan. His grandfather,

Moses Austin Moses Austin (October 4, 1761 – June 10, 1821) was an American businessman and pioneer who played a large part in the development of the lead industry in the early United States, especially in southwest Virginia and Missouri. He was the fa ...

, had initially obtained permission from Mexico to serve as an

empresario An empresario () was a person who had been granted the right to settle on land in exchange for recruiting and taking responsibility for settling the eastern areas of Coahuila y Tejas in the early nineteenth century. Since ''empresarios'' attract ...

to settle Texas. His grandmother is Mary Brown Austin. His mother Emily's brother was Stephen F. Austin. His family owned several slaves prior to 1865. His brothers include

William Joel Bryan William Joel Bryan (December 14, 1815 – March 3, 1903) was a Texas soldier and planter. Biography Early life William Joel Bryan was born on December 14, 1815, at Hazel Run in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri. His father was James Bryan and ...

and Moses Austin Bryan. Stephen Samuel Perry was his

half-brother A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the other person. A male sibling is a brother, and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised ...

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Guy Morrison 1821 births 1901 deaths People from Herculaneum, Missouri Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives Burials at Texas State Cemetery Kenyon College alumni Confederate States Army officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas People from Jones Creek, Texas Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Military personnel from Texas Texas State Historical Association charter members 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives