Biography
He was born in Bradford, New Hampshire to Ambrose S. Brackett and Nancy (Brown) Brackett. He was an 1865 graduate of Harvard College and an 1868 graduate of Harvard Law School and a lawyer by profession, holding the post of Judge Advocate of the Massachusetts Militia's First Brigade at one point during his career. He married Angie Moore Peck of Arlington, Massachusetts on June 20, 1878, they had four children.
Brackett, a Republican, served on the Boston Common (City) Council he later served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1877 to 1882 representing Boston from the 17th Suffolk District, 17th Suffolk District and again from 1884 to 1887. From 1885 to 1887 Brackett was Speaker of the House.
His major accomplishment as a legislature was the establishment of cooperative banks. These banks were designed to encourage thrift among the working class.
From 1887 to 1890 he served as the 34th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts under Governor Oliver Ames. In 1889, when Ames retired, Brackett was elected to succeed him as Governor, holding office from 1890 to 1891. During his year in office, he effectively advanced an agenda of tax reform and advocated further improvements in Massachusetts prisons. However, he was defeated for re-election in 1890 by the Democrat William E. Russell.
Brackett then returned to his Boston law practice, remaining active in his party: in 1892 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention and he served as a presidential elector in 1896 and 1900.
In 1887 Brackett built a Queen Anne style home at 87 Pleasant Street, Arlington, Massachusetts where he lived until his death in 1918. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is also part of Arlington's Pleasant Street Historic District.
Read more about this topic: John Q. A. Brackett
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