Thomas Patterson Brockman
Encyclopedia
Colonel Thomas Patterson Brockman (December 4, 1797 – August 20, 1859), was the son of Henry Brockman and Susannah Patterson. He was born in the Greenville District (now Greenville County
), South Carolina
. Brockman was a merchant and planter in the Greenville District and also owned land in the Spartanburg District. According to the 1850 slave schedules, he possessed thirty slaves in Greenville. He was also a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
and the South Carolina Senate
.
in the years before the Civil War
. In 1832-1833, he served as Greenville delegate to the state convention on Nullification
; he voted against nullification. He was state Senator from the Greenville district from 1836 to 1839, and Commissioner of Roads and of Public Buildings in 1844,
The slavery issue came to a head with the Compromise of 1850
. South Carolina secession
ists asserted that if the Compromise passe, South Carolina should withdraw from the Union.
Brockman's town of Greenville had long been a Unionist stronghold. In the October state elections of 1850, Brockman was elected state Senator, and fellow Unionists Benjamin Perry
and Perry E. Duncan were also elected to the legislature. The Unionist started a newspaper
, the Southern Patriot, to support the cause.
Nonetheless, the legislature called for a convention to be held to decide on secession. Brockman and other Unionists worked to delay the convention as long as possible, collaborating with the "cooperationist" faction. ("Cooperationists" did not explicitly opposed secession, but said that South Carolina should not act on its own, but only in "cooperation" with other Southern states.) When the convention delegates were finally elected in 1852, the Unionists and cooperationists defeated the secessionists 25,062 to 17,617. The Union was safe (for the time being) thanks in large part to the efforts of Brockman and the other Unionists of Greenville.
The election of Lincoln
in 1860 caused a new crisis. Despite Brockman's efforts, South Carolina declared secession in December 1860, commencing the American Civil War
. This was a tragic outcome for Brockman, as both of his sons (Benjamin T. Brockman
and Jesse Brockman) died while serving in the Confederate Army with the 13th South Carolina Infantry.
Brockman's daughter Tallulah James Brockman married Alabama
politician John H. Bankhead
, a future U.S. Representative
and Senator
. Their son William Brockman Bankhead
was a U.S. Representative and Speaker of the House
; their son John H. Bankhead II
was a U.S. Senator.
Greenville County, South Carolina
- External Links :*...
), South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Brockman was a merchant and planter in the Greenville District and also owned land in the Spartanburg District. According to the 1850 slave schedules, he possessed thirty slaves in Greenville. He was also a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the upper house being the South Carolina Senate. It consists of 124 Representatives elected to two year terms at the same time as US Congressional elections...
and the South Carolina Senate
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
.
Title of Colonel
Brockman was listed as a noted member of the community in Greenville as early as 1831, when he served as a parade marshal on the Fourth of July, as appointed by Perry E. Duncan and committee. At that ceremony he led three companies of militia, accompanied by Colonel Barron, Colonel Greene, and Major Goodlett. Brockman was colonel of the Third Regiment of the state militia (1831–1834).Political life
Brockman was a prominent UnionistUnion (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
in the years before the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. In 1832-1833, he served as Greenville delegate to the state convention on Nullification
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was a sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson created by South Carolina's 1832 Ordinance of Nullification. This ordinance declared by the power of the State that the federal Tariff of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within...
; he voted against nullification. He was state Senator from the Greenville district from 1836 to 1839, and Commissioner of Roads and of Public Buildings in 1844,
The slavery issue came to a head with the Compromise of 1850
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five bills, passed in September 1850, which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War...
. South Carolina secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
ists asserted that if the Compromise passe, South Carolina should withdraw from the Union.
Brockman's town of Greenville had long been a Unionist stronghold. In the October state elections of 1850, Brockman was elected state Senator, and fellow Unionists Benjamin Perry
Benjamin Franklin Perry
Benjamin Franklin Perry was the 72nd Governor of South Carolina, appointed by President Andrew Johnson in 1865 after the end of the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
and Perry E. Duncan were also elected to the legislature. The Unionist started a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, the Southern Patriot, to support the cause.
Nonetheless, the legislature called for a convention to be held to decide on secession. Brockman and other Unionists worked to delay the convention as long as possible, collaborating with the "cooperationist" faction. ("Cooperationists" did not explicitly opposed secession, but said that South Carolina should not act on its own, but only in "cooperation" with other Southern states.) When the convention delegates were finally elected in 1852, the Unionists and cooperationists defeated the secessionists 25,062 to 17,617. The Union was safe (for the time being) thanks in large part to the efforts of Brockman and the other Unionists of Greenville.
The election of Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
in 1860 caused a new crisis. Despite Brockman's efforts, South Carolina declared secession in December 1860, commencing the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. This was a tragic outcome for Brockman, as both of his sons (Benjamin T. Brockman
Benjamin T. Brockman
Benjamin T. Brockman was a merchant and a Confederate officer in the American Civil War.Brockman was born in South Carolina, the eldest son of Colonel and Senator Thomas Patterson Brockman and the granduncle of Tallulah Brockman Bankhead...
and Jesse Brockman) died while serving in the Confederate Army with the 13th South Carolina Infantry.
Brockman's daughter Tallulah James Brockman married Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
politician John H. Bankhead
John H. Bankhead
John Hollis Bankhead was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama.-Biography:He was born on September 13, 1842. He was appointed, then elected, to serve out the remainder of the term left by the death of John Tyler Morgan, and was later re-elected twice. He served in the Senate from June 18, 1907...
, a future U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Their son William Brockman Bankhead
William B. Bankhead
William Brockman Bankhead was an American politician from Alabama who served as U.S. Representative and Speaker of the House. He was a Democrat. Bankhead was a prominent supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal of pro-labor union legislation, thus clashing with most other southern...
was a U.S. Representative and Speaker of the House
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
; their son John H. Bankhead II
John H. Bankhead II
John Hollis Bankhead II was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama. Like his father, John H. Bankhead, he was elected three times to the Senate, and like his father, he died in office....
was a U.S. Senator.
State Senate Committees
- State Senator Greenville District (1836–1839), (1850–1855)
- Committee on accounts and vacant offices (1836–1838), (1854–1855)
- Internal Improvements (1836–1839)
- Privileges and Elections (1836–1839)
- Incorporations (1838–1839)
- Pensions (1850–1851)
- Roads, Bridges, and Ferries (1850–1851)
- Claims and Grievances (1852–1853)
Other positions
- Colonel Third Regiment State Militia (1831–1832)
- South Carolina Representative to South Western Railroad Bank Stockholder's Meeting (1839)
- Commissioner of Roads (1844, 1851, 1854)
- Commissioner of Public Buildings (1844, 1851, 1854)
- Presidential Elector (1852)
Activities against secession
Brockman, Benjamin Fanklin Perry, and Perry Emory Duncan were all prominent Unionists.- Represented Greenville at Nullification Convention, voted against (1832–1833)
- Authored a pamphlet advocating a Southern Convention rather than a state convention (1851)
- Southern Rights state convention (1852)
Sources
- Kibler, Lillian Adele (1946). Benjamin F. Perry, South Carolina Unionist Duke University Publications)
- Taylor, C. R., Morgan, M. L., and Bailey, N. L. (1986). Biographical Dictionary of the South Carolina Senate, 1776–1985, Vol I Abbott-Hill. Columbia, South Carolina, University of South Carolina Press.
- Clark, Henry William (1905). Clark, Parks, Brockman, and Dean Families.