Brackenridge, Henry Marie

Henry Marie Brackenridge was an eminent lawyer, statesman, and author.

Brackenridge was born May 11, 1786. His Legal Education was varied, including the study of law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, admiralty law in Baltimore, Maryland, and Spanish law in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1806 and practiced law in Pennsylvania as well as Missouri and Louisiana from 1810 to 1814, and in Baltimore from 1814 to 1817.

After serving as deputy attorney general and district judge in Louisiana, Brackenridge was a member of the Maryland legislature from 1814 to 1817 and from 1819 to 1821. He was a strong supporter of the South American nations, and in 1817 was sent to South America as part of a commission to study the political conditions of the area. Subsequently, he relocated to Florida where he worked for Governor Andrew Jackson from 1821 to 1832, serving as secretary and judge of the Florida Territory.

As an author, Brackenridge wrote many publications, including Views of Louisiana (1814); History of the Late War (1816); Voyage to South America (1819); Letters to the Public, (1832); and History of the Western Insurrection in Western Pennsylvania (1859).

Brackenridge died January 18, 1871, in Pittsburgh.