William Brown Read

William Brown Read (December 14, 1817 – August 5, 1880) was a 19th-century American politician and lawyer from Kentucky who served in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and represented his state in the United States House of Representatives during the Reconstruction era. He was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, at a time when the region was still largely rural and agricultural, and he spent his early years there. Details of his family background and early upbringing are not extensively documented, but he completed the customary preparatory studies available in the area, laying the foundation for a professional career in the law.

After his preliminary education, Read pursued the study of law, following the then-common practice of reading law rather than attending a formal law school. Upon completion of his legal training, he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in Hodgenville, Kentucky, in 1849. Hodgenville, located in LaRue County but historically associated with the broader Hardin County region, became his professional and political base. As a practicing attorney, he established himself in the local legal community and gained the experience and standing that would support his entry into public life.

Read’s political career began in state government. A Democrat, he was elected to the Kentucky Senate, where he served from 1857 to 1865, a period that spanned the years immediately preceding and including the American Civil War. During this time, Kentucky was a border state with divided loyalties, and service in the state senate required navigating complex political and sectional tensions. His prominence within the Democratic Party was reflected in his selection as a delegate to both of the Democratic National Conventions in 1860, when the party split over the issue of slavery and national policy. In 1863 he sought statewide office as the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, but he was unsuccessful, losing the race to Unionist candidate Richard T. Jacob.

Despite this defeat, Read remained active in party and public affairs. He was again chosen as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1864, participating in national deliberations during the closing phase of the Civil War. Returning his focus to state politics after the conflict, he served as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1867 to 1869. His legislative service in both the senate and the house placed him among the more experienced lawmakers in Kentucky during the turbulent transition from war to Reconstruction, as the state adjusted to the end of slavery and shifting political alignments.

In 1870, Read was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, representing Kentucky in the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses. He served from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1875. His tenure in Congress coincided with the later Reconstruction years, when issues of federal authority, civil rights, and the reintegration of the former Confederate states dominated national debate. Although specific details of his committee assignments and legislative initiatives are not extensively recorded in surviving summaries, his service placed him among the Democratic minority in a period marked by contentious partisan struggles over Reconstruction policy. In 1874 he was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination, bringing his congressional career to a close at the end of his second term.

Following his departure from Congress, Read returned to Hodgenville and resumed the practice of law. He continued his legal work there until his death, remaining a figure of local and regional prominence due to his long record of public service. William Brown Read died in Hodgenville, Kentucky, on August 5, 1880. He was interred in Red Hill Cemetery in Hodgenville, where his burial reflects his enduring connection to the community in which he had lived, practiced law, and from which he had launched his state and national political career.