Thomas J. Brady
Thomas J. Brady | |
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| Born | 29 February 1839 |
| Died | 22 April 1904 |
Thomas Jefferson Brady (February 12, 1839 – April 22, 1904) was an American Republican politician and Civil War officer.
Early life[edit]
Brady was born in Muncie, Indiana in 1839, the son of John Brady, the first mayor of Muncie, and his wife, Mary Wright Brady.[1] After graduating from Asbury College (now DePauw University), Brady taught school for several years before studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1860.[2] At the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined the Union Army as a captain in the 8th Indiana Infantry Regiment. Brady served with that regiment until 1863, when he was promoted to colonel of the 140th Indiana Infantry Regiment.[1] He was promoted to brevet brigadier general just before the end of the war, in March 1865, in recognition of his "long and meritorious service."[2] During the war, in 1864, Brady was married to Emeline Wolfe. They had three children: Arthur, Elizabeth, and Winfield.[1]
Political career[edit]
After the war, Brady resumed his law practice in Muncie, forming a partnership with Arthur C. Mellette. Brady also purchased the Muncie Weekly Times in 1868.[2] In 1870, he was appointed consul to St. Thomas, then a part of the Danish Virgin Islands, where he served until 1875.[2] He was appointed commissioner of internal revenue for Ohio and Indiana that year.[1] The following year, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Brady second assistant postmaster-general.[citation needed]
In his position with the postal service, Brady became embroiled in the Star Route scandal.[1] Brady was alleged to have illegally profited in a scheme in which postal officials received bribes in exchange for awarding postal delivery contracts in southern and western areas.[citation needed] President Rutherford B. Hayes sustained Brady in office, but he resigned in 1881. Brady was indicted for conspiracy to defraud the government in 1882. A jury found him guilty, but the judge set aside the verdict. At a second trial the following year, Brady and his co-defendants were found not guilty.[citation needed]
Brady moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, where his son, Arthur, was president of the Union Traction Company. He died there in 1904.[3]
References[edit]
Sources[edit]
- Lanman, Charles; Morrison, Joseph M. (1887). Biographical Annals of the Civil Government of the United States. New York: J.M. Morrison. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- Helm, Thomas B. (1881). History of Delaware County. Chicago: Kingman Bros.
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