Samuel Brady (1789-1871)
MSA SC 3520-2826
Biography:
Adapted from Wilbur F. Coyle, The Mayors of Baltimore (Reprinted from The Baltimore Municipal Journal, 1919), pp. 59-63.
Samuel Brady was Mayor of Baltimore for a part of a term from November 2nd, 1840, to March 9th, 1842, upon which date he resigned.
During this administration school buildings at Monument and Forrest streets and on Ross street (now Druid Hill Avenue), near Riddle street were erected. A stone bridge over Jones Falls at Gay street was removed and a wooden bridge constructed. Authority to erect bridges over Chatsworth Run at Carpenter’s Alley (King Street), and over Harford Run at Eden and McElderry streets, were passed. These runs are now enclosed by sewers.
Legislation to divide the city into fourteen wards and changing the plan of appointing school commissioners, so that a member of the Board should be chosen from each ward, was approved. The office of Commissioners for Opening Streets was created; authority to extend Marsh Market (Centre Market) from Lombard to Pratt streets was granted. The Appeal Tax Court was created by Act of Assembly during the session of 1841.
In his messages for 1840 and 1841, Mayor Brady deviated from the usual scope and included some interesting statistics on Baltimore’s shipping and maritime progress, etc. According to him 60 vessels, totalling 8,558 tons, were built in Baltimore in 1840, while 41 vessels equalling 5,883 tons were constructed and 596 new houses were erected in 1841.
In 1840 there were 2,270 day and night students in the public schools.
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Mayor Brady, according to historians, was a native of Delaware.* Coming to Baltimore at an early age, he entered the retail drygoods business, and was, during Mayor Samuel Smith’s administration, City Collector. As has been stated, Mr. Brady resigned March 9, 1842. His resignation was brought about apparently by a difference between himself and the City Council over the purchase by the city of large amounts of Baltimore and Ohio Railroad stock. The Mayor was in favor of this investment, but the Council opposed the idea. This difference of opinion resulted finally in the Mayor quitting office.
Mr. Brady, prior to becoming the City Executive, was a member of the First Branch of the City Council twice and during his last term was chosen president of that body. The tenure of membership in the First Branch was then one year. While president of this Branch, Mr. Brady was elected Mayor. Upon leaving the Mayoralty he was a Democratic candidate for Congress, but was unsuccessful at the polls.
During the early period of his political career, Mr. Brady was nominated for the House of Delegates, but was defeated by a small margin. After he quit public office in the city he retired to Baltimore County, and was later elected County Commissioner, which office he held for many years. He died December 8th, 1871, at the age of 82 years.
*Chapman Publishing Company’s Geneology and Biography of leading families of the City of Baltimore and Baltimore County, says that Samuel Brady was born in Baltimore County, "and was Mayor of the City," but this statement may be incorrect since there were two Samuel Brady’s, father and son. The Baltimore Sun obituary, December 11th, 1871, says Mayor Brady was born in Delaware.
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