Joseph Emerson Brown Monument

Public Art : Joseph Emerson Brown Monument

Sculptor : ©  Giuseppe Moretti (1857-1935) and I. D. Dumley as asssistant

Date : Dedicated October 27th, 1928.

Description : The Joseph Emerson Brown Monument depicts 7ft bronze statues of  Mr and Mrs Brown atop a Marble pedestal. Mrs Brown is seated in an elaborate high back chair whilst Mr Brown stands protectively beside her with his right arm around her shoulder. Mrs Brown has a shawl falling over her shoulders and a book resting in her lap. Mr Brown has a coat over his left arm and holds a scroll.  On the north side of the monument there is a bronze scene depicting the Battle of Dug Gap May 8,1864. On the back there is a bronze plaque of the State Seal of Georgia, 1799. On the south side there is a bronze scene depicting the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, June 27,1862.

Location : Capitol Grounds, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.

Background of Joseph Emerson Brown : Joseph Emerson Brown, often refered to as "Joe Brown" was born in 1821 in Pickens County, South Carolina. He is best remembered for his challenging role as Governor of Georgia  (1857 - 1865) during the American Civil War. He also has the title of the only man to have served four terms as Governor. 
Known for his fiery leadership, Brown studied law in 1847 before being elected to the Georgia State Senate two years later. He followed this by becoming the leader of the Democratic Party. In 1855 he was appointed the State Circuit Court Judge and two years later he became the Governor of Georgia. A strong believer in education Brown diverted the profits made by the state railroads to Georgia's public schools. Hot tempered Joe Brown often clashed with Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. Brown stoodfast believed in "states rights", whilst Davis's supported centralized government initiatives brought about by the necessities of war.Brown formed a state defense force which was soon nicknamed "Joe Brown's pets", a force Davis tried to obtain for military duties outside the state . Brown continually refused to let his "pets" be unleashed. He also tried to stop Colonel Francis Bartow using his men for the First Battle of Bull Run. Brown was forced to give up his position as Governor when Union troops overthrew most of Georgia and for a short time after the end of the Civil War he was held as a political prisoner in Washington D.C. After the war the ex governor became president of the Western and Atlantic Railroad and even managed to become a Republican (for a short time). In 1880 he was elected into the US Senate and became the first Georgian official to support public education for all (not considered cool in those days). In 1894 Brown died.

History of the Joseph Emerson Brown : The famous and eccentric Italian sculptor Giuseppe Moretti was commissioned in the 1920's to create a monument in honour of Georgian Governor, Joseph Emerson Brown. The monument was unveiled on the 27th October, 1928 in the grounds of Georgia's State Capitol. It would be one of the last sculptures Moretti would create in America. He returned to Italy with his wife in 1930 and spent his final few years in San Remo before dying in 1935.

Inscription :

Giuseppe Moretti Trivia : Moretti takes the honour of having created the largest cast iron statue in the world, Vulcan in Birmingham, Alabama.

He also claimed to have been the first artist to have used aluminum in art.

The eccentric Italian born sculptor was noted for always wearing a green tie.

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Brown's Burial Site

Ann Boutwell from Atlanta

Joseph Emerson Brown & Elizabeth Grisham Brown's burial site is in Atlanta's Historic Oakland Cemetery,
about a mile from Giuseppe Moretti's Sculpture
on the lawn of the Georgia State Capitol on the corner of Washington and Mitchell streets.

Posted at 4:45:am 03/10/10

Was this comment useful?(18/31 people think so.)

NUTRITIONIST

MITTY COLEMAN from Miami Gardens

Great Statue! I had a chance to visit this statue approximately two years ago; by the way, Joseph Emerson Brown is my great, great grandfather.

Posted at 11:58:am 04/15/10

Was this comment useful?(12/22 people think so.)

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