Charles Branscomb facts for kids

Charles Henry Branscomb (born June 16, 1822 – died January 3, 1891) was an important person who helped create the city of Lawrence, Kansas. He worked with the New England Emigrant Aid Company, a group that helped people move to new areas.

Life Story

Charles Branscomb was born in Newmarket, New Hampshire on June 16, 1822. He went to college at Dartmouth College and finished in 1845. Later, he studied law at Cambridge and graduated in 1848. In the 1850s, he joined the New England Emigrant Aid Company.

In 1854, Charles Branscomb and his friend Charles L. Robinson traveled to the Kansas Territory. They were looking for a good place to start a new town. They found the perfect spot, and that place became the city of Lawrence, Kansas. Charles Branscomb even led the first group of settlers to live there.

Charles Branscomb was also involved in politics. He served as a representative for the Kansas Territory. Later, in the 1860s, he moved to St. Louis. There, he became a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1867 to 1869. After that, he worked for the United States government as a consul in England from 1869 to 1874. A consul is like a diplomat who helps people from their home country who are living or traveling abroad.

In 1874, he moved back to Lawrence, Kansas. He ran for Governor of Kansas, but he did not win the election. In 1890, he moved to Denver, Colorado. Charles Branscomb passed away on January 3, 1891, from pneumonia.