Robert Franklin Brattan (May 13, 1845 – May 10, 1894) was an American politician and lawyer. He served in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

and the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

Early life

Robert Franklin Brattan was born on May 13, 1845, in Barren Creek Springs in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

(now Wicomico) County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

to Elizabeth (née Venables) and Joseph Brattan. His father was a merchant and agriculturist. His grandfather was Joshua Brattan, a state delegate from Somerset County. Brattan was named for his uncle, Franklin Brattan, a lawyer who practiced law with David Davis in Illinois. At the age of nineteen, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Brattan was arrested on a charge of carrying a Southern spy near his home. His father was also arrested on charges of disloyalty. Brattan attended schools in Somerset County. He graduated from

Washington College Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" name ...

Chestertown, Maryland Chestertown is a town in Kent County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,532 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Kent County, the oldest county in Maryland. History Founded in 1706, Chestertown ...

, in 1864. Brattan was appointed as deputy register of wills for Somerset County. He served in that role from September 1864 to March 1867. Brattan read law with the firm Jones & Irving, working with Isaac D. Jones and Levin Irving. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in July 1867. He continued with the firm Jones & Irving until January 1868.

Career

In 1868, Brattan started a law practice with James U. Dennis. Brattan's political career began as a member of the state convention of 1865 which sent delegates to a peace convention held in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in the following year. He also served as a member of several State and congressional conventions and was elected to the

in 1869, serving in the 1870 session. He was elected to the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

in 1873, serving the remainder of the term of George R. Dennis. He was re-elected for terms in 1879, 1887, and 1890. He served from 1874 to 1876, 1880 to 1884, and 1888 to 1892. In 1890, he served as

President of the Maryland State Senate The President of the Maryland Senate is elected by a majority of the State Senators. The incumbent is Bill Ferguson who has held the role since January 8, 2020. The Maryland Constitution of 1864 created the new position of Lieutenant Governor o ...

. In 1891, Brattan was considered for nomination as state comptroller at the Maryland Democratic Convention, but was unsuccessful. After his tenure in the Senate, Brattan engaged in the practice of law in

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

, and was elected late to the

, representing Maryland's 1st District, in his life as a Democrat to the Fifty-third Congress. His tenure was just over a year in length until his death.

Personal life

Brattan married Nellie Hooe Dennis, daughter of his law partner and state senator James U. Dennis and niece of George R. Dennis, in December 1884. They had three children: Cecilia, Nellie and Robert Franklin. His brother was J. Y. Brattan, a newspaper editor of the

Baltimore Morning Herald ''The Baltimore Morning Herald'' was a daily newspaper published in Baltimore in the beginning of the 20th century. History The first edition was published on February 10, 1900. The paper succeeded the ''Morning Herald'' and was absorbed later ...

. Brattan died at his home in Princess Anne on May 10, 1894, from

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

. He is interred in St. Andrew's Cemetery at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Princess Anne.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brattan, Robert Franklin 1845 births 1894 deaths Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Democratic Party Maryland state senators Presidents of the Maryland Senate Washington College alumni People from Wicomico County, Maryland Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland People from Somerset County, Maryland People from Princess Anne, Maryland 19th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

References