Charles Franklin Brannan (August 23, 1903 – July 2, 1992) was the United States secretary of agriculture from 1948 to 1953. He was a liberal Democrat best known for proposing the "Brannan Plan", which was rejected by a conservative Congress and never took effect. Brannan was the last surviving member of Harry S. Truman's cabinet.
Brannan was born in Denver, Colorado on August 23, 1903. He came from a Quaker family; his father was an engineer. He received his law degree from the University of Denverlaw school in 1929. In 1932, Brannan married Eda V. Seltzer. He practiced law in Denver, specializing in agricultural, mining, and irrigation issues. He was an ardent Democrat and a supporter of the New Deal.
Government lawyeredit
He began as a lawyer in the Resettlement Administration, where he relocated destitute tenant farmers hurt by the "dust bowl." In 1937, he became a regional attorney for the Department of Agriculture. In 1941, he moved to the Farm Security Administration, where he arranged loans for water facilities and needy farmers in the Mountain states. In 1944, he became assistant secretary of agriculture under Secretary Clinton Anderson, who put him in charge of long-range planning. When Anderson resigned in 1948, he recommended Brannan, as did the president of the liberal Farmers Union.
Secretary of Agriculture, 1948-1953edit
In 1949, he advocated the Brannan Plan, as part of President Harry S. Truman's Fair Deal program. Brannan wanted to guarantee farmers income, while letting free market forces determine the prices of commodities. That plan was not enacted by the Republican controlled congress, which was focusing on the Cold War.
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Charles F Brannan news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message Charles Franklin Brannan August 23 1903 July 2 1992 was the United States secretary of agriculture from 1948 to 1953 He was a liberal Democrat best known for proposing the Brannan Plan which was rejected by a conservative Congress and never took effect Brannan was the last surviving member of Harry S Truman s cabinet Charles Brannan14th United States Secretary of AgricultureIn office June 2 1948 January 20 1953PresidentHarry S TrumanPreceded byClinton P AndersonSucceeded byEzra Taft BensonPersonal detailsBornCharles Franklin Brannan 1903 08 23 August 23 1903Denver Colorado U S DiedJuly 2 1992 1992 07 02 aged 88 Denver Colorado U S Political partyDemocraticSpouseEda SeltzerEducationRegis University BA University of Denver LLB Contents 1 Early life 2 Government lawyer 3 Secretary of Agriculture 1948 1953 4 Senate campaign 5 Death 6 In popular culture 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksEarly life editBrannan was born in Denver Colorado on August 23 1903 He came from a Quaker family his father was an engineer He received his law degree from the University of Denver law school in 1929 In 1932 Brannan married Eda V Seltzer He practiced law in Denver specializing in agricultural mining and irrigation issues He was an ardent Democrat and a supporter of the New Deal Government lawyer editHe began as a lawyer in the Resettlement Administration where he relocated destitute tenant farmers hurt by the dust bowl In 1937 he became a regional attorney for the Department of Agriculture In 1941 he moved to the Farm Security Administration where he arranged loans for water facilities and needy farmers in the Mountain states In 1944 he became assistant secretary of agriculture under Secretary Clinton Anderson who put him in charge of long range planning When Anderson resigned in 1948 he recommended Brannan as did the president of the liberal Farmers Union Secretary of Agriculture 1948 1953 editIn 1949 he advocated the Brannan Plan as part of President Harry S Truman s Fair Deal program Brannan wanted to guarantee farmers income while letting free market forces determine the prices of commodities That plan was not enacted by the Republican controlled congress which was focusing on the Cold War Following the election of Dwight D Eisenhower in 1953 Brannan left the government and became the general counsel for the National Farmers Union Senate campaign editIn 1956 he was defeated in the Democratic primary by John A Carroll for the Colorado U S Senate race 1 Death editBrannan died on July 2 1992 at age 88 in Denver He was the last surviving member of the Truman Cabinet nbsp The members of Truman s cabinet in August 1949 from left to right Alben W Barkley Dean G Acheson Truman John W Snyder Louis A Johnson Tom C Clark Jesse M Donaldson Julius A Krug Brannan Charles W Sawyer and Maurice J TobinIn popular culture editIn Mary Robinette Kowal s alternate history novel The Calculating Stars 2018 Brannan remains secretary of agriculture even after Thomas E Dewey wins the 1948 presidential election He happens to be touring farms in Kansas on March 3 1952 when a meteorite strike obliterates Washington D C as the only surviving member of the presidential line of succession he becomes acting president Brannan goes on to win both the 1952 and 1956 presidential elections defeating Dwight D Eisenhower in the latter References edit Our Campaigns CO US Senate D Primary Race Sep 11 1956 Further reading editChristenson Reo Millard The Brannan Plan University of Michigan Press 1959 Dean Virgil W Why Not the Brannan Plan Agricultural History 1996 70 2 pp 268 282 in JSTOR Dean Virgil W An opportunity lost The Truman administration and the farm policy debate University of Missouri Press 2006 online Dean Virgil W Farm Policy and Truman s 1948 Campaign Historian 1993 55 3 pp 501 516 Matusow Allen J Farm policies and politics in the Truman years Harvard University Press 1967 Pratt William C The Farmers Union McCarthyism and the Demise of the Agrarian Left Historian 1996 58 2 pp 329 342 online Schoenebaum Eleonora W ed Political Profiles The Truman Years 1978 pp 51 53External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charles F Brannan A film clip Longines Chronoscope with Charles F Brannan is available for viewing at the Internet Archive Newspaper clippings about Charles F Brannan in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBWPolitical officesPreceded byClinton P Anderson U S Secretary of AgricultureServed under Harry S Truman1948 1953 Succeeded byEzra Taft Benson Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Charles F Brannan amp oldid 1172170134, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
