Background
He died of "inflamation of the bladder, pleurisy, and pneumonia" .
He died of "inflamation of the bladder, pleurisy, and pneumonia" .
He attended Brown University for two years, at the same time working as a printer to support himself and pay for tuition, but due to his financial distress did not graduate.
Left college to begin newspaper Yankee, Wiscasset, Maine
To begin newspaper Yankee, Wiscasset, Maine. Taught school, Haverhill, Massachusetts, for short time. Editor, owner Haverhill Gazette.
Reporter Portland Advertiser. Moved to Washington, District of Columbia, 1835. Contributor articles New York Daily Advertiser, Boston Transcript, Baltimore American, St. Louis Republican, others.
Became editor Portland Advertiser, 1840. Traveled from Southern tip of Africa to Moscow, Russia, sent back regular reports, 1843. Editor (with his brother James) New York Express, until 1877, actively opposed Catholic exemption from tax.
Became member of New York State Senate (Know-Nothing Party), 1853. Unsuccessful Know-Nothing candidate for government New York, 1856. Member Know-Nothing Nominating Convention, 1856.
Member Constitutional-Union Party Convention that hominated Bell and Everett, 1860. Member of New York State Constitutional Convention, 1866-1867. Member Constitutional Commission, 1872-1873.
Member of New York Assembly from Richmond County, 5 terms.
He contributed to articles of New York Daily Advertiser, Boston Transcript, Baltimore American, St. Louis Republican and others
Traveled from Southern tip of Africa to Moscow, Russia and sent back regular reports, 1843;
Erastus Brooks was a member of the New York State Senate (6th D.), first elected as a Whig, from 1854 to 1857, sitting in the 77th, 78th, 79th and 80th New York State Legislatures.
He was a delegate to the American Party national convention of 1856 in Philadelphia which nominated the Millard Fillmore/Andrew J. Donelson ticket for the United States presidential election, 1856.
At the New York state election, 1856, he ran on the American Party ticket for Governor of New York, but was defeated by Republican John A. King.
Brooks was a delegate to the Constitutional Union national convention of 1860 in Baltimore which nominated the John Bell/Edward Everett ticket for the United States presidential election, 1860.
He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Richmond Company) in 1878, 1879, 1881, 1882 and 1883. He was the Democratic minority candidate for Speaker in 1878, 1879 and 1881; and Permanent Chairman of the Democratic state convention of 1881.
actively opposed Catholic exemption from tax
Member Know-Nothing Nominating Convention, 1856. Member Constitutional-Union Party Convention that hominated Bell and Everett, 1860. Member of New York State Constitutional Convention, 1866-1867.
Member Constitutional Commission, 1872-1873. Member of New York Assembly from Richmond County, 5 terms.
Married Margaret Dawes.
Capt. James Brooks commanded the privateer Yankee during the War of 1812, and was lost at sea near the end of 1814.
He was one of the founders of the New York Daily Express and Erastus wrote articles and editorials for the paper.
