John Gardiner Calkins Brainard

John Gardiner Calkins Brainard (1795–1828) was a short-lived American lawyer, editor and poet.

Biography

John Brainard was born in New London, Connecticut in October 1796, son of Jeremiah G. Brainard, formerly a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court. He was tutored at home by an elder brother, and entered Yale College at the age of 15 in 1811. Biographies agree that he was not an attentive student, and it is uncertain if he graduated. Nevertheless on leaving college he was taken on as a student at law in his brother William F. Brainard's office.Whittier, J. G., " [http://www.archive.org/details/literaryremainso00brairich The literary remains of J.G.C. Brainard: with a sketch of his life] " (1832)]

By 1891 he had been called to the bar and moved to Middletown, apparently to set up his own practice. In fact, he seems to have been apathetic about a legal career, feeling that his nature was too sensitive for such a profession. Some of his earliest poems are from this period of his life, published in a New Haven literary paper, "The Microscope" published by one Cornelius Tuthill." [http://www.archive.org/details/poemsofjohngcbra00braiiala The poems of John G. C. Brainard. A new and authentic collection, with an original memoir of his life] " (1847)]

In February 1822, he was engaged as editor of the "Connecticut Mirror" in a bid to further a literary career. Again, biographies agree that this was not the ideal job for him, and that "his temperament was totally unsuited to rough collissions of editorial controversy". In this role he published a number of his own works within the newspaper, which were well received and led to a literary reputation for Brainard.

He appears to have been well known and well thought of in his community. He is known to have been a friend of McDonald Clarke, the so-called "Mad poet of Broadway". [http://www.archive.org/details/appletonscyclopa01wils Appleton's cyclopaedia of American biography, Volume 1] , (1900)]

In 1824-5 he published a first volume, "Occasional Pieces of Poetry by John G. C. Brainard", being reprints of works first published in the "Mirror", together with a miscellany of unpublished poems.

By the spring of 1827, he was in failing health, suffering from tuberculosis. He returned to New London, giving up his "Mirror" role, but continuing to have poems published in it.

He died on September 26 1828. A number of poets, including John Greenleaf Whittier, wrote poems in his memory. A posthumous "The literary remains of J.G.C. Brainard: with a sketch of his life" was published in 1832, and revised and republished as "The poems of John G. C. Brainard. A new and authentic collection". A number of his poems are reprinted in collections of poems.

External links

*" [http://books.google.com/books?id=YBQUAAAAIAAJ Occasional Pieces of Poetry] " by John Gardiner Calkins Brainard
*" [http://www.archive.org/details/literaryremainso00brairich The literary remains of J.G.C. Brainard: with a sketch of his life] "
*" [http://www.archive.org/details/poemsofjohngcbra00braiiala The poems of John G. C. Brainard. A new and authentic collection, with an original memoir of his life] "

References