William M. Browne
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Brig. Gen. William M. Browne |
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Confederate States Secretary of State Acting |
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In office February 18, 1862 – March 18, 1862 |
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| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | Robert Hunter |
| Succeeded by | Judah Benjamin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 7, 1823 County Mayo, United Kingdom (now Ireland) |
| Died | April 28, 1883 (aged 59) Athens, Georgia, U.S. |
| Resting place |
Oconee Hill Cemetery Athens, Georgia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Eliza Jane Beket Browne |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Confederate States of America
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| Service/branch |
 Confederate States Army
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| Years of service | 1862–1865 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
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| Commands | 1st Virginia Cavalry Battalion, Local Defense Browne's Local Brigade |
| Battles/wars | |
William Montague Browne (July 7, 1823 – April 28, 1883) was a prominent politician and newsman. During the American Civil War, he served as acting Secretary of State for the Confederacy in 1862 and as a temporary brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. When he was not confirmed to that rank by the Confederate Senate, he reverted to his permanent grade of colonel
Browne was born in County Mayo in Ireland on July 7, 1823 as son of D. Geoffrey Browne, MP. Definite information about some events, positions or locations in his early life, including an uncertain higher education, alleged service in the British Army during the Crimean War, diplomatic services and his initial whereabouts in the United States during the early 1850s, appears to be unavailable. Residing in New York City by 1855 or 56, he wrote for the New York Journal of Commerce. He associated with the Democratic Party and later became a clerk in the House of Customs. In 1859 Browne moved to Washington D.C. and wrote for the pro-administration Washington Constitution.
In 1861 Browne, known as Constitution Browne by then, had become a well-connected proponent of secession and moved to Athens, Georgia, after that. A favorite of both the just elected Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his Secretary of State Robert Toombs he was appointed Assistant Secretary of State. On several occasions in 1861 and 62 Browne acted as interim Secretary. Living in Richmond, Virginia with his wife, Eliza Jane Beket, he had two permanent houseguests. One was Howell Cobb, a former United States Secretary of the Treasury and an old and close friend from Washington, who now was the President of Provisional Confederate Congress. The other was his younger brother, Colonel Thomas R.R. Cobb.
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