William H. Brawley

William Hiram Brawley
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
In office January 18, 1894 – June 14, 1911
Appointed by	Grover Cleveland
Preceded by	Charles H. Simonton
Succeeded by	Henry Augustus Middleton Smith
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 1st district
In office March 4, 1891 – February 12, 1894
Preceded by	Samuel Dibble
Succeeded by	James F. Izlar
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Charleston County
In office November 28, 1882 – December 24, 1889
Personal details
Born	May 13, 1841 Chester, South Carolina
Died	November 15, 1916 (aged 75) Charleston, South Carolina
Resting place	Charleston, South Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	South Carolina College
Profession	judge, prosecutor, lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Service/branch	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861-1862
Rank	Private

William Hiram Brawley (incorrectly reported in some works as William Huggins Brawley; May 13, 1841 – November 15, 1916) was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina and later a United States federal judge. He was the cousin of John James Hemphill and great-uncle of Robert Witherspoon Hemphill.

History

Born in Chester, South Carolina, Brawley attended the common schools, and graduated from South Carolina College at Columbia in 1860. He enlisted as a private in Company F, Sixth Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Confederate States Army, on April 11, 1861. He lost an arm in the Battle of Seven Pines and was retired from service in 1862. He managed his family plantation from 1862 to 1864, then traveled and studied in Europe in 1864 and 1865. He read law, and was admitted to the bar in 1866, commencing a private practice in Chester until 1868. Brawley was elected solicitor of the Sixth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina in 1868 and served until his resignation in 1874. He moved to Charleston and continued in private practice until 1893.

Political service

Brawley was a Representative from Charleston, South Carolina House of Representatives from 1882 to 1890. He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses, and served from March 4, 1891, until February 12, 1894, when he resigned to accept a position on the bench.

Federal judicial service

Throughout his time as a federal judge, Brawley lived at 9 Legare Street, Charleston, South Carolina.

On December 20, 1893, Brawley was nominated by President Grover Cleveland to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina vacated by Charles H. Simonton. Brawley was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 18, 1894, and received his commission the same day. He retired on June 14, 1911.

He thereafter lived in retirement until his death in Charleston, South Carolina, November 15, 1916. He is interred in Magnolia Cemetery.

Sources

• William H. Brawley at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

• William H. Brawley at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

External links

• Our Civil War in Retrospect, William H. Brawley, National Magazine, September, 1905 (with photo)
• William H. Brawley at Find a Grave