John Young Brown was the son of Thomas Dudley and Elizabeth (Young) Brown and was born on June 28, 1835 in Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky. His father was a man of some note, serving in the state legislature five terms and being a member of the constitutional convention of 1849-50. Thus, his son at an early age heard much speaking and oratory and developed a strong desire to excel in this art.
John entered Centre College when sixteen years of age and according to his classmate, W. C. P. Breckinridge, was the outstanding member of his class. He was graduated in 1855 and immediately began the study of law in Elizabethtown where he commenced practise the following year.
In 1860 John Brown was a supporter of Douglas and a presidential elector, entering into a joint campaign with W. C. P. Breckinridge, who was supporting his kinsman, John C. Breckinridge.
Brown's sympathies for the Union were so alienated during the Civil War by the régime of the Federal army in Kentucky and his support of the war became so infinitesimally small that when in 1867 he was elected to Congress from the 2nd district he was not allowed to take his seat.
In 1872 he was elected again by a vote of 10, 888 to 457 for his Republican opponent and served for the next four years, refusing to run thereafter. In 1875 he made a withering speech against Benjamin F. Butler, for which he was censured by the House. A subsequent Congress expunged the resolution of censure Brown now resumed his law practise in Henderson, whither he had moved about the time of the outbreak of the Civil War, and apparently retired from politics. But his desire to be governor was too strong. In 1891 he sought and secured the nomination, over the protests of the Farmers' Alliance delegates.
He won by a majority of 28, 000 votes over his Republican opponent and entered in December upon a four-year term characterized by many veto messages brought forth by loose legislation incident to putting into effect the new constitution of 1890. On the expiration of his term, he began again the practise of law in Louisville, but the following year (1896) he ran for Congress and was defeated.
In 1899 his hostility to Goebel, the Democratic nominee for governor, led him to run on an independent Democratic ticket. He received 14, 000 votes and greatly contributed to the disputed election which resulted in Goebel's assassination. Later he acted as attorney for the defense of Caleb Powers, who was charged with the crime.
John Young Brown's chief achievement was in becoming the 31st governor of Kentucky being elected in 1891 and serving until 1895. Prior to that he was elected in 1859 as a Democrat to the Thirty-sixth Congress, serving until 1861 and was reelected to the Forty-third and Forty-fourth Congresses, serving (1873-75).
His interest in politics led him to attack the Know-Nothings with such vigor as to draw threats on his life from that group. In 1859 while attending the Democratic convention at Bardstown he was nominated for Congress despite his protestations of being a year too young. Nevertheless, he entered vigorously into the campaign and was elected, though he was not allowed to take his seat until the meeting of the short session by which time he had reached the constitutional age.
Quotations: "If I wished to describe all that was pusillanimous in war, inhuman in peace, forbidden in morals, and infamous in politics, I should call it 'Butlerizing'. "
On September 1860 John Young Brown married Rebecca, a daughter of Archibald Dixon, a former United States senator and a conservative Union man.
1814–1869
1868–1926
1862–1866
1837–1858
1869–1894
1878–1940
1839–1922
1865–1919
1863–1895
33rd Governor of Kentucky
30th Governor of Kentucky
senator representing Kentucky from 1897 to 1903
32nd Governor of Kentucky
