Reconstruction Joseph E. Brown, Part 2

in 1861, and its impact on Georgians. A populist does what the people want, whereas an idealist does what he believes is right, and a loyalist does what his party tells him. However, a populist doesn’t take the highly unpopular positions Brown took over the years, a loyalist doesn’t change party affiliations twice, and an idealist doesn’t admit “on the record” that he was wrong. As such, I don’t think Brown was any of these. He was, I think, a pragmatist; he did what was practical, and Cherokee County and Georgia owes much to his pragmatism. Joseph Parks, professor emeritus at the University of Georgia, wrote an extensive history of Brown, and I think he captures Joseph E. Brown’s real legacy when he describes him as “a man with few friends, but many followers.”

• “Joseph E. Brown of Georgia.” Louisiana State University Press. 1977.

• www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=21891

The Wanderer has been a resident of Cherokee County for nearly 20 years, and constantly is learning about his community on daily walks, which totaled a little more than 2,000 miles in 2022. Send questions or comments to wanderingga@gmail.com.