William G. Brantley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's11th district | |
| In office March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Henry G. Turner |
| Succeeded by | John Randall Walker |
| Member of theGeorgia Senate | |
| In office 1886 – 1887 | |
| Member of theGeorgia House of Representatives | |
| In office 1884 – 1885 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1860-09-18)September 18, 1860 Blackshear, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | September 11, 1934(1934-09-11) (aged 73) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
William Gordon Brantley (September 18, 1860 – September 11, 1934) was an American politician and lawyer from the state ofGeorgia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was aSouthern Democrat.
Brantley was born inBlackshear, thecounty seat ofPierce County, Georgia. He attended theUniversity of Georgia inAthens. After his graduation, he passed the law examinations and gained admission to the state bar in 1881, and began practicing law in Blackshear.
Brantley served in both legislative chambers of the bicameralGeneral Assembly of Georgia during the 1880s. He was first elected to the lower chamber, theGeorgia House of Representatives, in 1884 and 1885, and subsequently to the upper house,Georgia Senate, in 1886 and 1887. In 1888, he becamesolicitor general of the statecircuit court inBrunswick.
In 1896, Brantley successfully ran for federal office, winning election as aDemocratic candidate to theUnited States House of Representatives inGeorgia's 11th congressional district in the northwest region of the state. He was re-elected to the House for seven more two-year terms, serving from 1897 to 1913, until deciding not to run for re-election 16 years later in the summer of 1912.[1]
At the end of his congressional career, Brantley also served as a delegate to the1912 Democratic National Convention, which convened inBaltimore'sFifth Regiment Armory. It was one of the most important political presidential nominating conventions in Democratic Party and American history. After a major battle through numerous ballots for the presidential nomination pittingJames Beauchamp ("Champ") Clark ofMissouri, the powerfulSpeaker of the House, againstWoodrow Wilson, the progressiveGovernor of New Jersey, Governor Wilson won the party's nomination and later went on towin the presidency.
After his time onCapitol Hill ended, Brantley remained afterwards in Washington for another two decades to continue to practice law there. He died in that city in 1934, and was returned home to Georgia to be buried inBlackshear Cemetery in the town of his birth.
Congressman Brantley and/or his father Benjamin Daniel Brantley are considered to be the namesakes toBrantley County, Georgia, one of the most recent counties to be established in the state. It was separated from three other surrounding counties in southeastern Georgia and organized in 1920.[2]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's 11th congressional district March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1913 | Succeeded by |
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