Mason Brayman (May 23, 1813 – February 27, 1895) was an American attorney, newspaperman, and military officer. During his service to the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

, he rose to the rank of

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

with the 29th IL. Volunteer Infantry. Later in life, he became the seventh Governor of the

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory ...

Early life

Brayman was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

on May 23, 1813. Raised with a

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

outlook and a hatred of liquor, he was apprenticed to a printer at the age of 17. Five years later he became editor of a local newspaper. In addition to his work with newspapers, he studied law and was admitted to the New York Bar in 1836. The year after his admission to the bar, Brayman married his wife, Mary. She was a direct descendant of Roger Williams and the union produced two daughters and a son. Following his marriage Brayman began a series of westward moves, working as a

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city at ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

and newspaper editor in

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

before settling in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

, during the early 1840s.

Illinois

In Springfield, Brayman practiced law with

Jesse B. Thomas Jr. Jesse Burgess Thomas Jr. (July 31, 1806 – February 21, 1850) was born in Lebanon, Ohio; an Illinois politician, he served as the Illinois Attorney General from 1835 to 1836 and later on the state Supreme Court. After studying law at Transylvan ...

, and wrote editorials for the town's newspapers. In addition to spending time with persons such as

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

and Stephen A. Douglas, he oversaw the American Baptist Publishing Society, was active in the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

, and was a leader of the local

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christianity, Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe ...

church. In 1844, Brayman gained statewide prominence by accepting a commission from Governor Thomas Ford to revise the Illinois legal code. Two years later he was commissioned as a

special prosecutor In the United States, a special counsel (formerly called special prosecutor or independent counsel) is a lawyer appointed to investigate, and potentially prosecute, a particular case of suspected wrongdoing for which a conflict of interest exi ...

to deal with incidents occurring during the Illinois Mormon War. In this capacity he devised the agreement which allowed the Mormons to leave Illinois. In the 1850s, Brayman joined the staff of the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also ...

, working to gain rights of way for the expanding railroad. In 1855, he sold his position with the Illinois Central and took a position with the Cairo and Fulton Railroad. This move proved to be a financial blunder as the new railroad eventually failed, while the Illinois Central prospered. During 1858, Brayman campaigned for Abraham Lincoln's Illinois senate candidacy.

Civil War

With the outbreak of the

, Brayman joined with other railroad executives and secured a

military commission Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodie ...

. Initially serving as a major with the

29th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 29th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 29th Illinois Infantry was organized at Camp Butler, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on Au ...

under General McClernand, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

on April 15, 1862 and command of his regiment. Following the

Battle of Fort Donelson The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important ave ...

, Brayman stopped shaving and grew a beard that would eventually reach his belt. He also had his horse shot out from under him twice. At Shiloh he became a minor hero, rallying his troops by charging between the Union and Confederate lines. During the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mi ...

he suffered a bout of

heatstroke Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, b ...

that forced him into garrison duty. By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of Major General and was serving as head of a claims commission in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...

. In 1873, he entered semi-retirement on a farm in

Ripon, Wisconsin Ripon is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,733 at the 2010 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Ripon. Ripon is home to the Little White Schoolhouse, the commonly recognized birthplace of ...

. The

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an depression (economics), economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in United Kingdom, Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two ...

however destroyed most of his wealth and by 1876 he was lobbying for a patronage appointment.

Idaho

Brayman was nominated by President Ulysses S. Grant as Governor of the Idaho Territory on July 24, 1876. Being unfamiliar with the territory, the new governor consulted with the territorial delegate,

Stephen S. Fenn Stephen Southmyd Fenn (March 28, 1820 – April 13, 1892) was a congressional territorial delegate from the Idaho Territory. Born in Watertown, Connecticut, Fenn moved with his parents to Niagara County, New York, in 1824. He attended the publi ...

, to learn what he could of his new appointment. Fenn was a Democratic politician who gained much of his support from the territory's

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into seve ...

population. The delegate was also a rival of the Boise Ring, a clique of influential Anti-Mormon Republican politicians. The delegate used the opportunity to accuse Territorial Secretary and Acting Governor E. J. Curtis of drunkenness, fraud, and misuse of public funds. Fenn's advice, combined with Brayman's natural inclinations, created a distrust of the Ring by the new governor. Upon his arrival in Idaho, the locals initially considered Brayman to be a somewhat pompous

greenhorn Greenhorn is a slang for an inexperienced person, or a slur against Portuguese people in New England, United States. It may also refer to: Places * Greenhorn, California, United States * Greenhorn Mountain, a mountain in Colorado * Greenhorn ...

who was otherwise harmless. The new governor, in turn, acted with caution while learning about the territory. Opinions of the governor changed, however, when the 9th legislative session began in December 1876 and Brayman promoted a number of administrative improvements and economic reforms. At the same time, Brayman observed during the legislative session that there were political factions within the territory opposed to the Boise Ring. Brayman's first confrontation with the Boise Ring came two days before the inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes as

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

. An investigation had convinced the governor that Secretary E. J. Curtis, who Brayman considered to be a leader of the Boise Ring, was guilty of wrongdoing. The governor confronted the secretary and convinced him that he was to be replaced by the new administration and could avoid prosecution by submitting his resignation. The situation changed two months later when Curtis rescinded his resignation, claiming he had been tricked into giving it, and demanding reinstatement. Curtis was restored to his position and cleared of any wrongdoing. The outbreak of the

Nez Perce War The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict in 1877 in the Western United States that pitted several bands of the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans and their allies, a small band of the ''Palouse'' tribe led by Red Echo (''Hahtalekin'') and ...

led to additional problems for the governor. Lacking legal basis for creation of a militia, Brayman was forced to rely upon General Oliver O. Howard's response to the hostilities. This caused anger among residents of the northern counties who lacked the means to defend themselves against the hostile tribe. Additional problems came for the governor following a visit to

Rocky Bar Rocky Bar is a ghost town in Elmore County, Idaho, United States. At its height in the late 19th century Rocky Bar boasted a population of over 2,500 and served as county seat of Alturas County from 1864 to 1882. It was also the original county ...

courthouse in Alturas County. The court faced a large backlog of cases involving mining disputes, and the delays thus caused were affecting the local economy. Brayman suggested involved parties come to out of court settlements as a means of speeding resolution. Chief Justice Madison Hollister, presiding justice and member of the Boise Ring, took this suggestion as a personal affront. The Ring in turn used the incident as an excuse to seek Brayman's

disbarment Disbarment, also known as striking off, is the removal of a lawyer from a bar association or the practice of law, thus revoking their law license or admission to practice law. Disbarment is usually a punishment for unethical or criminal condu ...

. Brayman prevailed during the disbarment hearing but was publicly humiliated in the process. The governor's troubles continued to mount as result of a racially charged murder trial. A dispute arose on June 10, 1877, between a group of Chinese workers and hot-tempered Irish miner John McGuinness. The dispute escalated to violence and McGuinness killed two of the Chinese and wounded a third before the remaining workers stabbed the miner to death. The workers were convicted of

second degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...

by an all white jury. Brayman, believing the Chinese had acted in self-defense, choose to

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

the convicted workers. The morally courageous proved politically disastrous and the white population reacted angrily to the pardons. Additional pressure came upon Brayman as result of the May 30, 1878, outbreak of the

Bannock War The Bannock War of 1878 was an armed conflict between the U.S. military and Bannock and Paiute warriors in Idaho and northeastern Oregon from June to August 1878. The Bannock totaled about 600 to 800 in 1870 because of other Shoshone peoples ...

. The 130

carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and light ...

s held by the territory were insufficient to arm the citizens seeking protection. Demands from the territory's residents for weapons to defend themselves eventually led the governor to seek permission to issue arms from the federal stockpile at

Fort Boise Fort Boise is either of two different locations in the western United States, both in southwestern Idaho. The first was a Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) trading post near the Snake River on what is now the Oregon border (in present-day Canyon Co ...

. Complicating the governor's position was the revelation that Brayman had authorized

Bannock Bannock may mean: * Bannock (food), a kind of bread, cooked on a stone or griddle * Bannock (Indigenous American), various types of bread, usually prepared by pan-frying * Bannock people, a Native American people of what is now southeastern Oregon ...

leader Buffalo Horn, a former

army scout In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmishers ...

with a history of aiding the U.S. government, to purchase US$2 worth of ammunition (roughly 100 bullets and a pound of

black powder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate ( saltpeter) ...

) 13 days before outbreak of hostilities.

Replacement

On June 9, 1878, word arrived in Idaho that John Philo Hoyt had been appointed the territory's new governor. Hoyt, who at the time was Governor of Arizona Territory and as unaware of the action as Brayman, was being removed by President Hayes to make way for John C. Frémont who had used his political connections to secure an influential appointment. Hoyt was unsure about the situation and was denied

Senate confirmation Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts. It describes either of two situations: where a weak executive branch of a government enacts something previ ...

after failing to respond to questions in a timely manner. Hayes then renominated Hoyt for the position, but Hoyt turned down the nomination after investigating the situation in Idaho. The effect of this was that Brayman, while technically suspended, was still the ''de facto'' governor. His political opponents, eager to see him gone, lobbied Hayes to appoint another replacement. Brayman, however still maintained considerable influence outside of the territory and used his connections to petition for reinstatement. Within the territory there were four petitions circulated expressing support for the embattled governor, one by Mormon residents, one in the northern counties, and two by anti-Ring groups. With the conflicting opinions about Brayman, the Hayes administration decided to leave the governor in office till the expiration of his term on July 24, 1880. The remainder of his term saw Brayman's influence largely blocked by political infighting with pro-Ring elements. An effort to pass a militia bill during the 10th legislative session passed the

upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

but the governor was unable pressure the lower house to pass the legislation. Similar results occurred with efforts to bring railroad service to the southern portion of the Territory. The Territory's unwillingness to pass subsidy legislation caused the railroads to lose interest in routes that crossed the Territory in favor of other alternatives. Brayman's final efforts to defeat the Boise Ring came in his efforts for

reapportionment Apportionment is the process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions, such as states or parties, entitled to representation. This page presents the general principles and issues related to apportionme ...

. In 1879, he took a leave of absence to return the East Coast and lobby the U.S. Congress for changes. Unsuccessful in this effort he was forced to wait till after the

1880 Census The United States census of 1880 conducted by the Census Bureau during June 1880 was the tenth United States census.John Baldwin Neil, however was named and arrived in the territory to take the oath of office before Brayman was able to complete his plans.

Later life

Brayman left Idaho on August 19, 1880. His departure did not end his influence on Idaho politics however. Lewiston-based newspaper editor Alonzo Leland, looking for a rallying point against the Boise Ring nominated the former governor to be the Territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress during the 1880 campaign. As a result, Brayman received 904 of the 938 votes cast in the northern counties. This support was insufficient for victory, however, as the southeastern and southwestern counties completely ignored Brayman's candidacy. Brayman died of Bright's Fever in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 27, 1895. Obituaries printed at the time tended to praise his earlier years while giving only passing mention to his time in Idaho.

References

* *

External links

* , Idaho State Historical Society
Mason Brayman autographed document, MSS 3966
at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library,

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

Mason Brayman correspondence, MSS SC 479
at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library,

* https://www.nps.gov/liho/planyourvisit/upload/Civil-War-Site-neighborhhod-Bulletin.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Brayman, Mason 1813 births 1895 deaths Politicians from Buffalo, New York Politicians from Springfield, Illinois Union Army generals People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Governors of Idaho Territory Illinois lawyers New York (state) lawyers Illinois Republicans Idaho Republicans American temperance activists 19th-century American politicians Activists from Buffalo, New York Lawyers from Buffalo, New York Military personnel from Buffalo, New York Baptists from New York (state) 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century Baptists Military personnel from Illinois