The Munsons of Texas — an American Saga
Inset 13
ABOUT GERARD C. BRANDON [1]
Gerard Chittocque Brandon was the eldest child of Gerard Brandon, who was born in Ireland, fought in the American Revolutionary War, and immigrated to the Natchez District immediately after the war, as did Jesse and Robert Munson.
Gerard C. Brandon was born in September of 1788 at his father's Selma plantation, about nine miles south of Natchez. He may have been a boyhood friend of Henry William Munson. He attended college at Princeton and William and Mary, graduating from the latter with highest honors. He began the practice of law at Washington, Mississippi, in about 1812. In 1816 he married Margaret Chambers of Bardstown, Kentucky, and abandoned the practice of law for the life of a planter and civic leader. His home was Columbia Springs Plantation near Fort Adams, Mississippi.
He was always active in Mississippi politics. He was a member of the state constitutional convention in 1817, was Speaker of the House in 1822, and was elected Lieutenant-Governor in 1823 and 1825. In each case the governor died in office and Brandon completed the term as Acting Governor. He was then elected Governor by large majorities in August of 1827 and again in 1829, and he completed these two terms. He was solicited to accept the United States Senatorship at the close of his term as Governor, but he declined.
He is noted as having opposed the further introduction of black slaves, a not uncommon sentiment in Mississippi in his day. During his first term as Governor, he submitted the resolutions of several state legislators regarding the abolition of slavery.
Gerard C. Brandon was married twice and had a total of eight sons and two daughters. His eldest son was named Gerard Brandon. Munson family historian Erma Munson Rich corresponded with his descendants in Natchez, Mississippi, in the 1950s. Gerard C. Brandon died at his home near Fort Adams, Mississippi, on March 28, 1850 at the age of 61.
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[1] From Dunbar Rowland, Mississippi, The Reprint Company, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1976.
