Thomas E. Bramlette
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Thomas E. Bramlette | |
 |
|
|
23rd Governor of Kentucky
|
|
|---|---|
| In office September 1, 1863[1] – September 3, 1867[1] |
|
| Lieutenant | Richard T. Jacob |
| Preceded by | James F. Robinson |
| Succeeded by | John L. Helm |
|
|
|
| Born | January 3, 1817[1] Cumberland County, Kentucky[1] |
| Died | January 12, 1875 (aged 58) Louisville, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Sallie Travis Mary E. Adams[1] |
| Profession | Lawyer[1] |
Thomas Elliott Bramlette (January 3, 1817 – January 12, 1875) was the twenty-third Governor of Kentucky.
Contents |
[edit] Early years
Bramlette was born in a part of Cumberland County, Kentucky that today is part of Clinton County, Kentucky.[2] He was the son of Colonel Ambrose S. and Sarah Bramlette.[3] He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1837[1] at the age of 20,[2] and began practicing in Louisville, Kentucky.[1] In September of that year, Bramlette married Sallie Travis, the first of his two wives.[2] The couple had two children, Thomas and Corinne.[4]
Bramlette's political career began in 1841, when he was elected to represent Clinton County in the General Assembly.[2] In 1848, Governor John J. Crittenden appointed Bramlette Commonwealth's Attorney.[2] He resigned the position in 1850 to continue his legal practice, relocating to Columbia, Kentucky in 1852.[2] In 1856, Bramlette was elected as a judge in Kentucky's 6th Judicial District, serving with distinction for five years.[2]
Bramlette accepted a commission as a colonel in the Union army at the outset of the Civil War in 1861, raising and commanding the 3rd Kentucky Infantry Regiment[3] in violation of Kentucky's neutrality agreement.[2] He resigned this post a year later and returned to Louisville to accept President Lincoln's offer to become United States District Attorney for Kentucky.[5] During his tenure in this position, he vigorously enforced Kentucky's wartime laws against Confederates and Confederate sympathizers.[2]
[edit] Governor of Kentucky
In 1863, Bramlette replaced Joshua Fry Bell as the Union Democrats' nominee for governor.[2] The election saw Union forces intimidate and jail supporters of Bramlette's opponent, former governor Charles A. Wickliffe.[2] Not surprisingly, Bramlette carried the election by a margin of nearly 4-to-1.[6] During his term, he turned down an offered seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as a nomination to become the Democratic candidate for Vice-President in 1864.[1]
[edit] Civil War
In December 1863, Bramlette addressed the General Assembly, declaring that the state had fulfilled its quota of soldiers to the Union army.[4] January 4 of the following year, he proclaimed that rebel sympathizers would be held responsible for all guerrilla raids in the state, and specified stiff fines and imprisonment for anyone found to be aiding the guerrillas.[4]
Although Bramlette assumed the governorship as a staunch supporter of the Union cause, within a year he issued a proclamation that he would "bloodily baptize the state into the Confederacy".[2] The reasons for Bramlette's reversal were many. He took issue with General Stephen Burbridge's decision to enlist Negroes from Kentucky for military service, asking that this measure only be taken if Kentucky failed to meet her quota.[4] The situation worsened when on July 5, 1864, President Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus for citizens of the Commonwealth.[3] Burbridge continued menacing Kentucky's citizens, interfering with the presidential election of 1864, and banishing Lieutenant Governor Richard T. Jacob from the state.[4] When the General Assembly re-convened in January of 1865, Bramlette continued voicing his opposition to the Union's tactics. Nevertheless, he did urge passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, maintaining that the institution of slavery was "irrevocably doomed."[4]
[edit] Reconstruction
Despite his disagreements with the Lincoln administration, he proclaimed a day of fasting and prayer upon receiving news of Lincoln's assassination.[4] The General Assembly petitioned new president Andrew Johnson to call an end to martial law in the state.[4] The tension between the state and federal governments continued, however, leading Bramlette to declare that every "white male citizen" twenty-one years of age having resided in the Commonwealth for at least two years would be eligible to vote.[4] Spurred on by the Democratic governor's actions, Kentucky gave control of both houses of the General Assembly and five of its nine congressional seats to Democrats. Republican President Johnson received the message, ending martial law and restoring habeas corpus in Kentucky.[4]
When the General Assembly convened in December of 1865, Bramlette sought to restore harmony in the state by issuing pardons to most ex-Confederates.[4] He and the majority of the General Assembly opposed passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, and Bramlette protested the establishment of the Freedman's Bureau in the Commonwealth.[3]
Bramlette was very proud of his accomplishments not related to the Civil War, including the reduction of the state's debt and the establishment of the Agricultural and Mechanical College (later, the University of Kentucky).[3] He supported the construction of turnpikes financed by government bonds, the development of natural resources, and encouraged immigration to obtain adequate labor to support reconstruction efforts.[3]
[edit] Later life and death
Following his term as governor, Bramlette conducted a failed campaign to become a U.S. Senator.[2] He married Mary E. Graham Adams in 1874,[5] two years after the death of his first wife.[2] He returned to his law practice in Louisville, and became a patron of many charitable organizations, notably the Louisville Public Library.
Bramlette died in Louisville on January 12, 1875 following a brief illness.[4] He is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kentucky Governor Thomas Elliott Bramlette. National Governors Association. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Powell, Robert A. (1976). "Thomas Elliott Bramlette", Kentucky Governors. Danville, Kentucky: Bluegrass Printing Company. OCLC 2690774.
- ^ a b c d e f (1992) "Bramlette, Thomas Elliott", in Kleber, John E.: The Kentucky Encyclopedia, Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter, Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813117720.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l (2004) "Thomas Elliott Bramlette", in Lowell H. Harrison: Kentucky's Governors. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813123267.
- ^ a b (1987) The Encyclopedia of Kentucky. New York, New York: Somerset Publishers. ISBN 0403099811.
- ^ Kentucky's Governors: 1851 – 1879. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
| Preceded by James F. Robinson |
Governor of Kentucky 1863–1867 |
Succeeded by John L. Helm |
|
|||||||
