John "Red" Brown (1786–1852) was a politician in the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

and early statehood

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

who served briefly as

Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives. The Speaker's main duties are to conduct meetings of the House, appoint committees, and enforce the Rules of the House. The current s ...

during the

First Texas Legislature The First Texas Legislature convened from February 16 to May 13, 1846 in regular session. Members of the House of Representatives and Senate were elected in December 1845, after an election on October 13, 1845 that ratified the proposed state const ...

. Brown was also one of the founders of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in Texas. Brown was probably born in Ireland on 30 August 1786. He moved to Texas in 1836 to near

Nacogdoches Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchitoch ...

. Early Texas census records list him as an Irishman and a farmer. Brown represented

Nacogdoches County Nacogdoches County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 64,653. Its county seat is Nacogdoches. The Nacogdoches, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Nacogdoches County. N ...

in the Sixth Congress of the Republic of Texas from 1841 to 1842. Brown was elected to the First Texas Legislature after annexation of Texas into the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. On 3 March 1846, Speaker William Crump was given a leave of absence, Brown was elected Speaker of the House ''pro tempore''. On 9 March 1846, Brown resigned as Speaker ''pro tempore'', and the House elected

Edward Thomas Branch Edward Thomas Branch (December 6, 1811 – September 24, 1861) was a Republic of Texas legislator and Judge, and after the annexation of Texas to the United States, served briefly as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Branch was bor ...

. He was a founder of Henderson County when it was formed from Nacogdoches County in 1846. Brown served as a notary public and a ferry operator, and received a license to operate a toll-bridge over Kickapoo Creek near Old Normandy (present-day Brownsboro, which was named for John Brown). On 27 April 1846, Brown helped to found the Texas Democratic Party in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. Brown served as a commissioner to help locate the state penitentiary in 1848. In 1850, Brown was one of the commissioners that selected

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

as the seat of Henderson County. Brown was married to Margaret Hodges Brooks. After her death in 1849, he married Elizabeth Holland in 1851. He probably died in 1852.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, John 1786 births 1852 deaths Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Irish-American history and culture in Texas 19th-century American politicians