George William Brown (mayor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George W. Brown
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| 20th Mayor of Baltimore | |
| In office November 12, 1860 – September 12, 1861 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Swann |
| Succeeded by | John C. Blackburn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 13, 1812 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | September 8, 1890 (aged 77) Lake Mohonk, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Constitutional Union |
| Spouse |
Clara Maria Brune
(m. 1839; died 1919) |
| Children | Arthur John Frederick Ellen Mary |
| Alma mater | University of Maryland (SL) |
| Profession | Judge, academic |
George William Brown (born October 13, 1812 – died September 8, 1890) was an important American politician, judge, and teacher. He served as the Mayor of Baltimore from 1860 to 1861. He also taught law at the University of Maryland School of Law and became the 2nd Chief Judge of Baltimore City's Supreme Bench. Brown helped start and lead several important groups, like the Bar Association of Baltimore City.
Contents
George Brown's Early Career
George Brown became a lawyer in 1834. He helped create the Library Company of the Baltimore Bar in 1840. He was also its president for many years, from 1861 to 1874. In 1844, he helped start the Maryland Historical Society.
Brown also helped put together the first collection of decisions from the Maryland Court of Appeals. This important legal book was published in 1849.
Serving Baltimore City
Brown was elected as the Mayor of Baltimore in 1860. He served in this role until 1861. After his time as mayor, he was a delegate at the Constitutional Convention in Baltimore in 1867.
From 1871 to 1873, Brown taught as a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law. In 1872, he was chosen to be the 2nd Chief Judge of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City. He held this important judicial position from 1873 to 1888. Brown also founded the Bar Association of Baltimore City in 1880. He later served as its 11th president from 1889 to 1890.
The Pratt Street Riot of 1861
Brown played a key role during the Pratt Street Riot on April 19, 1861. This event saw the first bloodshed of the American Civil War. Mayor Brown walked with a group of soldiers from the Sixth Massachusetts regiment through the city streets.
When a crowd attacked the soldiers he was with, Mayor Brown acted quickly. He took a musket (a type of gun) from a soldier and used it to defend the group. After the riot, Baltimore became very chaotic. People destroyed offices of newspapers that supported the Union. They also looted stores looking for weapons.
Meeting with President Lincoln
Mayor Brown and other Baltimore business leaders went to the White House. They asked President Abraham Lincoln to change the route for Union troops. They wanted the troops to go around Baltimore city to Annapolis. This was to prevent more fights if soldiers kept passing through the city.
In the days after the riot, Governor Hicks likely agreed with Mayor Brown's decision. They sent Maryland militiamen to destroy railroad bridges north of the city. This was done to stop more troops from coming through Baltimore. Both Hicks and Brown later denied this action. However, a military leader named Isaac R. Trimble said Brown did authorize it. This might explain why federal authorities later arrested Brown.
Soon after, a Maryland militia captain named John Merryman was arrested. He was held at Fort McHenry. He was not allowed a writ of habeas corpus, which is a legal right to appear before a judge. President Lincoln had suspended this right along railroad lines in Maryland. This arrest led to the famous court case of Ex parte Merryman.
President Lincoln agreed to send Union troops around Baltimore to Annapolis. From there, they could travel to Washington, D.C. This decision helped avoid more violence in Baltimore.
Brown's Imprisonment
On May 13, 1861, the Union army entered Baltimore. They took control of the city and declared martial law, which means military rule. Mayor Brown was arrested at his home on September 12, 1861.
He was first held at Fort McHenry for one night. Then, he was moved to Fort Monroe in Virginia for two weeks. After that, he was sent to Fort Warren in Boston Harbor. He was held there for fourteen months. Brown was finally released on November 27, 1862. He returned to Baltimore and continued his work as a lawyer. Francis Key Howard, the grandson of Francis Scott Key, was also imprisoned during this time.
Later Life and Education
In 1869, George Brown gave a speech at St. John's College in Annapolis. He spoke about a "great university" that would be built in Baltimore. He mentioned it was planned by a very wealthy citizen from Anne Arundel County. Brown was talking about Johns Hopkins. In 1867, Hopkins had announced his plan to create a university and a hospital after he passed away.
Brown and Hopkins knew each other and respected each other. So, it was not a surprise that Brown was chosen as one of the twelve original trustees for the Johns Hopkins University.
Building a New University
After Johns Hopkins died in 1873, the trustees began planning the new university. Daniel Coit Gilman had the idea to create the first research university in the United States, based on the German model. Brown strongly supported this idea.
Brown also took part in discussions about what subjects the new university should teach. Should old subjects like Greek and Latin be replaced by modern languages? Should students be able to choose their own classes, or should their studies be set for them? How would religion fit into a university that was not tied to one specific church?
Brown shared his own ideas for the university. He believed it should send out "upright, refined, and highly cultivated young men." He also said the university's goal should be to gather skilled professors. These professors should be great teachers and also have time to add new writings and discoveries to the world's knowledge. President Gilman later used this idea in his speech when the university officially opened in 1876.
Almost three years before he died, Brown wrote his life story. In it, he described Quaker Johns Hopkins as a "wealthy Union man." He also noted that Hopkins was part of a group of bankers who gave $500,000 to Baltimore after the first Civil War bloodshed there. Hopkins chose Brown to be one of the trustees for the university. Brown helped oversee the building and founding of what are now known as the Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital.
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