Francis Brengle

Francis Brengle (November 26, 1807 – December 10, 1846) was an American lawyer and Whig politician from Maryland who served one term in the United States House of Representatives. He was born on November 26, 1807, in Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland, a community that would remain the center of his personal and professional life. Little is recorded about his family background or early youth, but his later career indicates an early engagement with the legal profession and public affairs in his native state.

Brengle pursued legal studies in Maryland and, after reading law in the customary manner of the period, was admitted to the bar. Following his admission, he commenced the practice of law in Frederick. His legal work placed him among the professional class of a growing regional center in western Maryland and provided the foundation for his entry into state and national politics. Through his practice, he became known in Frederick and the surrounding counties, which would later form a significant portion of his congressional constituency.

Brengle’s political career began at the state level. He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, serving as a member of that body in 1834 and again in 1836. In the House of Delegates, he participated in the legislative process during a period of economic and political transition in Maryland, as the state confronted issues of internal improvements, banking, and the evolving party system. His service in the state legislature helped establish his reputation as a Whig and positioned him for higher office.

As a member of the Whig Party representing Maryland, Brengle advanced to national office in the 1840s. He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-eighth Congress from Maryland’s 2nd congressional district, which at that time comprised Allegany, Frederick, and Washington Counties. Chosen in a special election held on February 14, 1844, he entered the U.S. House of Representatives during a significant period in American history, marked by debates over territorial expansion, economic policy, and the balance of power between free and slave states. During his one term in Congress, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents from western Maryland within the broader national legislative arena.

Brengle’s tenure in Congress was brief. He served in the Twenty-eighth Congress until October 1, 1845, when he lost his seat to Democrat Thomas Johns Perry. The defeat reflected the intense partisan competition of the era between Whigs and Democrats in Maryland and across the nation. Although his time in the House was limited, his service placed him among the cadre of mid-nineteenth-century Whig legislators who sought to shape federal policy on issues ranging from infrastructure and commerce to the governance of new territories.

After leaving Congress, Brengle returned to Frederick. While specific details of his activities during this final period are sparse, it is likely that he resumed his legal practice and remained engaged in local affairs, as was common for former members of Congress of his generation. His public career, spanning service in the Maryland House of Delegates and the U.S. House of Representatives, reflected the trajectory of a regional lawyer-politician in antebellum America.

Francis Brengle died in Frederick, Maryland, on December 10, 1846, at the age of thirty-nine. He was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, a burial ground that became the resting place for many of the city’s prominent citizens. His relatively short life encompassed service at both the state and national levels, and his congressional term during the Twenty-eighth Congress situated him within the turbulent political landscape of the 1840s United States.