The New South Notes
The Bourbon Triumvirate
The Bourbon Triumvirate was a group of three politicians (Joseph E. Brown, Alfred H. Colquitt, and John B. Gordon) who dominated Georgia politics for over 20 years. These men, who all had been key figures during the Civil War, rotated positions as governor and U.S. Senator from the 1870s to 1890s. They held a common interest in developing the railroad and mining industries in Georgia, serving the interest of those men who were part of the old antebellum planter class, and instituting low taxes which resulted in few government services. In addition, all three of the men were white supremacists who supported and took advantage of the convict lease system. The power of the Bourbon Triumvirate began to wane as the ideals of the Populist Party and the New Democrats began to dominate the Democratic Party in 1890, as well as, the deaths or retirement of the three members.
Joseph E. Brown
Joseph E. Brown (1821-1894) was born in South Carolina, but spent most of his early years in the mountains of North Georgia. He attended Yale Law School and moved back to Georgia where he became a successful lawyer. He was elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1849 and became a state judge in 1855. In 1857, he was elected governor of Georgia and remained in this position throughout the Civil War. During the Civil War he bickered with C.S.A. President Jefferson Davis on several occasions. Though a zealous secessionist before the war, Brown briefly joined the Republican Party after the war. As a Republican he served as the chief justice of Georgia’s Supreme Court. He later switched his allegiance back to the Democratic Party and served in the U.S. Senate from 1880-1890.
Alfred H. Colquitt
Alfred H. Colquitt (1824-1894) was born in Walton County, Georgia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1844 and returned to Georgia and became a lawyer. In 1846, he joined the Army during the Mexican-American War. In 1853, he was elected a U.S.
The Bourbon Triumvirate was a group of three politicians (Joseph E. Brown, Alfred H. Colquitt, and John B. Gordon) who dominated Georgia politics for over 20 years. These men, who all had been key figures during the Civil War, rotated positions as governor and U.S. Senator from the 1870s to 1890s. They held a common interest in developing the railroad and mining industries in Georgia, serving the interest of those men who were part of the old antebellum planter class, and instituting low taxes which resulted in few government services. In addition, all three of the men were white supremacists who supported and took advantage of the convict lease system. The power of the Bourbon Triumvirate began to wane as the ideals of the Populist Party and the New Democrats began to dominate the Democratic Party in 1890, as well as, the deaths or retirement of the three members.
Joseph E. Brown
Joseph E. Brown (1821-1894) was born in South Carolina, but spent most of his early years in the mountains of North Georgia. He attended Yale Law School and moved back to Georgia where he became a successful lawyer. He was elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1849 and became a state judge in 1855. In 1857, he was elected governor of Georgia and remained in this position throughout the Civil War. During the Civil War he bickered with C.S.A. President Jefferson Davis on several occasions. Though a zealous secessionist before the war, Brown briefly joined the Republican Party after the war. As a Republican he served as the chief justice of Georgia’s Supreme Court. He later switched his allegiance back to the Democratic Party and served in the U.S. Senate from 1880-1890.
Alfred H. Colquitt
Alfred H. Colquitt (1824-1894) was born in Walton County, Georgia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1844 and returned to Georgia and became a lawyer. In 1846, he joined the Army during the Mexican-American War. In 1853, he was elected a U.S.