James Brooks (November 10, 1807 – April 30, 1873) was an American educator, lawyer, and politician who served as a U.S. representative from New York during the latter half of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

Personal and education

He was born on November 10, 1807, in or near

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

. State Senator Erastus Brooks (1815–1886) was his brother. As a student, he attended public schools and then the academy at

Monmouth, Maine Monmouth is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,066 at the 2020 census. A popular summer resort area with many lakeside cottages, Monmouth is part of the Winthrop Lakes Region. History Part of the Plymouth Pa ...

. By the age of 16, he was teaching school, in

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

. He graduated from Waterville College (now

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanth ...

) in 1831. While

reading law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under th ...

with John Neal, Brooks also worked as an editor for the ''Portland Advertiser''.

Political career

After finishing law studies, he worked as the ''Advertiser's''

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

. He served as a member of the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via ...

in 1835 and lost a Congressional election in 1836. After losing, he moved to New York City and founded the '' New York Daily Express'', where he was editor-in-chief for the rest of his life. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

(New York Co., 16th D.) in

1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...

. He was elected, as a Whig, to the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses (March 4, 1849 - March 3, 1853). He lost a race for re-election in 1852 and resumed his editorial pursuits. In the 1860 U.S. presidential election, Brooks would support the Constitutional Union Party ticket of John Bell and

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Mass ...

, but by the outbreak of the

, he had come to align himself with Fernando Wood and his Mozart Hall faction of New York City's

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

. Throughout the conflict, Brooks would serve as one of Wood's chief lieutenants, arguing alongside Wood against the use of coercion or force to restore the Union, resulting in them both being recognized throughout the North as outspoken leaders in the anti-war Copperhead movement.

Tenure in Congress

Brooks was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865). He presented credentials as a Member-elect to the Thirty-ninth Congress, after a disputed election; he served from March 4, 1865, until April 7, 1866. He was succeeded by

William E. Dodge William Earl Dodge Sr. (September 4, 1805 – February 9, 1883) was an American businessman, politician, and activist. He was referred to as one of the "Merchant Princes" of Wall Street in the years leading up to the American Civil War. Dodg ...

, who had contested the election and won his case. In 1866, Brooks was elected as a Democrat to the Fortieth Congress, and to the three succeeding Congresses. He was a Member of Congress until his death in 1873. Brooks served as member of the New York State constitutional convention in 1867. That same year, he was appointed a government director of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

Censure

Brooks was

censured A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spir ...

by the House of Representatives on February 27, 1873, for attempted

bribery Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Cor ...

, in connection with the Crédit Mobilier of America scandal.

Death

Brooks died in Washington, D.C., April 30, 1873. He was interred at

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...

, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

References

Citations

Sources

Retrieved on 2009-05-12.

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, James 1810 births 1873 deaths 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American politicians American male journalists Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Censured or reprimanded members of the United States House of Representatives Colby College alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Journalists from New York City Members of the Maine House of Representatives Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) Whigs People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Politicians from Portland, Maine Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Categiry:Copperheads (politics)