Skip to main content

Joseph Mackey Brown papers

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS41

Scope and Content

This collection includes correspondence and ephemera of Joseph Mackey Brown, and also for his father, Georgia Governor Joseph Emerson Brown. The bulk of his correspondence relates to his tenure as governor, and includes pledges of support, congratulatory letters, and requests for patronage and jobs. Campaign correspondence relates to his failed gubernatorial campaign of 1910. In addition to his gubernatorial correspondence, agriculture and farming were frequent topics, as was the Georgia Railroad strike, and an infamous rape and murder case in Forsyth County, Georgia in 1912. Political materials primarily include campaign materials such as broadsides, ballots, and campaign literature. Also included are printed speeches given by Joseph Emerson Brown, and financial and legal documents pertaining to his estate.

Dates

  • 1846-1926, undated
  • Majority of material found within 1910 - 1914

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

Joseph Mackey Brown (1851-1932) was born in Canton, Georgia to Joseph Emerson Brown and Elizabeth Grisham Brown. In 1872, he graduated from Oglethorpe University and studied law for one year at Harvard University. He acquired a clerking position at Western & Atlantic Railroad and retired in 1898 as a traffic manager. He served as state railroad commissioner from 1904-1907, and as governor from 1909-1911, and briefly in 1912 to fulfill the remaining term of Alexander Clay. In 1889, Brown married Cora McCord of Augusta, Georgia. The couple had three children, Joseph, Charles, and Cora. Joseph Mackey Brown died in 1932 after a long illness. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery.

Extent

2.2 linear ft. (5 document cases, 1 half document case)

Language

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1972 and subsequent additions.

Title
Joseph Mackey Brown papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040