Request Material
Joseph Mackey Brown papers
Descriptive Summary | |
| Title: Joseph Mackey Brown papers | |
| Creator: Watson, Thomas E. (Thomas Edward), 1856-1922 | |
| Creator: Brown, Joseph M., 1851-1932 | |
| Creator: Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919 | |
| Creator: Smith, Hoke, 1855-1931 | |
| Creator: Sanford, Steadman Vincent, 1871-1945 | |
| Inclusive Dates: 1843-1926 | |
| Language(s): English | |
| Extent: 2.4 Linear Feet (2 document boxes, 2 oversized boxes) | |
| Collection Number: ms27a | |
| Repository: Hargrett Library | |
Collection Description
Historical Note
"Joseph M. Brown served as Georgia's governor for two terms, from 1909 to 1911 and from 1912 to 1913. Born on December 28, 1851, in Canton, Georgia, Joseph Mackey Brown was the son of Elizabeth Grisham and Joseph E. Brown, who was the governor of Georgia during the Civil War (1861-65). [...] During his two terms as governor, Brown advocated the prohibition of alcohol and a reduction in the state tax rate, and supported the formation of a state department of labor. He signed into law Georgia's first automobile registration, licensing, and regulation law, which included a prohibition on driving while intoxicated. He staunchly supported legislation that would have curtailed lobbying among government officials and signed into law a bill requiring the registration of all revolvers carried privately in the state." - "Joseph M. Brown." New Georgia Encyclopedia. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org (Retrieved July 31, 2008)
"The Civil War governor of Georgia, Joseph E. Brown, was one of the most successful politicians in the state's history and the father of two-term governor Joseph M. Brown." - "Joseph E. Brown." New Georgia Encyclopedia. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org (Retrieved July 31, 2008)
Julius L. Brown (1848-1910) was the son of Joseph E. Brown and brother of Joseph M. Brown. He received an A.B in 1868 and an A.M. in 1869 from the University of Georgia and a B.L. from the Harvard College Law Department. -- "Brown, Julius L., b. 1848." University of Georgia Centennial Alumni Catalog. http://dlg.galib.uga.edu/centennialcatalog/html (Retrieved June 26, 2009)
"Thomas E. Watson is perhaps best known to Georgians today by his imposing statue near the steps of the Georgia capitol. His public life has been considered one of the most perplexing and controversial of all Georgia politicians. In his early years he was characterized as a liberal, especially for his time. In later years he emerged as a force for white supremacy and anti-Catholic rhetoric. He was elected to the Georgia General Assembly (1882), the U.S. House of Representatives (1890), and the U.S. Senate (1920), where he served for only a short time before his death. Nominated by the Populist Party as its vice presidential candidate in 1896, he achieved national recognition for his egalitarian, agrarian agenda. Although his terms of elective office were short, for more than thirty years his support was essential for many men running for public office in Georgia. In addition to his political achievements, Tom Watson was a practicing lawyer, publisher, and historian. He is remembered for being a voice for Populism and the disenfranchised, and later in life, as a southern demagogue and bigot." - "Thomas E. Watson." New Georgia Encyclopedia. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org (Retrieved September 4, 2008)
"Theodore Roosevelt [was the] 26th president of the United States (1901-09) and writer, naturalist, and soldier. He expanded the powers of the presidency and of the federal government in support of the public interest in conflicts between big business and labour and steered the nation toward an active role in world politics, particularly in Europe and Asia. He won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1906 for mediating an end to the Russo-Japanese War, and he secured the route and began construction of the Panama Canal (1904-14)." -- "Theodore Roosevelt," from Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed September 28, 2009)
Steadman Vincent Sanford was born on August 24, 1871, in Covington to Elizabeth Steadman and Charles Vincent Sanford. In 1895 he married Grace McClatchey, with whom he had four children: Shelton Palmer, Grace Devereaux, Charles Steadman, and Homer Reynolds. Sanford received his undergraduate degree from Mercer University in Macon in 1890, and went on to pursue graduate studies at the University of Chicago, the University of Berlin in Germany, and Oxford University in England. He received honorary degrees from UGA (Litt.D., 1914) and Mercer (LL.D., 1932). He spent his early career teaching at Marietta (1890-92) and in educational administration, as principal of Marietta High School (1892-97) and superintendent of the Marietta schools (1897-1903) before taking a position teaching English at UGA in 1903. Sanford's path from English professor to leadership of the state's system of higher education was marked by his remarkably broad interests and impressive personal charm. Among the academic and administrative highlights of his thirty-two-year career at UGA were his founding and leadership of the Henry Grady School of Journalism (later, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication) (1921-27), his deanship (1927-32), and presidency of the university (1932-35). Sanford's role in journalism education led to the establishment of the George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting, one of the university's most widely recognized distinctions. -- New Georgia Encyclopedia
"Hoke Smith, a trial attorney and publisher of the Atlanta Journal, was most influential as the leader of Georgia's Progressive movement during his years as governor (1907-9, 1911) and as a U.S. senator (1911-21)." - "Hoke Smith." New Georgia Encyclopedia. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org (Retrieved September 3, 2008)
Scope and Content
The collection consists of personal and business correspondence, legal papers, writings, letterbooks, and other miscellaneous items. The bulk of this material deals with family lawsuits concerning the estates of Joseph E. Brown (father of Joseph M.) and Julius L. Brown (brother of Joseph M.). Box 1 includes letters written by Joseph M. Brown (1909-1926, mainly drafts and typescripts) Theodore Roosevelt, Hoke Smith,S. V. Sanfor, and Thomas Watson. Also in this box are a few of Brown's writings on military history of the Civil War, as well as his views on labor unions. Box 2 consists of legal documents and correspondence to and from other people, including other Brown family members. Boxes 3 and 4 contain letterbooks of Julius L. Brown and cover the periods 1894-1895 and 1908-1910.
Organization and Arrangement
Arranged in chronological order by record type.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Joseph Mackey Brown papers. MS 27a. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.
Finding Aid Publication
Finding aid prepared on: 2009 March 18.
Related Materials and Subjects
Subject Terms
Related Collections in this Repository
Related materials available in the following collections of this repository: Joseph Mackey Brown papers, MS 27.