Representative Franklin Brockson

Franklin Brockson (August 6, 1865 – March 16, 1942) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as a U.S. Representative from Delaware. His single term in the United States Congress, from 1913 to 1915, took place during a significant period in American history, when the Democratic Party held the majority in the House of Representatives and Woodrow Wilson had just assumed the presidency.

Brockson was born in Blackbird Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware, on August 6, 1865. He was educated in Delaware’s schools and pursued further study at the Wilmington Conference Academy in Dover, an institution later known as Wesley College. He graduated from the academy in 1890, laying the foundation for a professional career that would combine education, law, and public service.

After completing his studies at the Wilmington Conference Academy, Brockson began his career in education. He worked as a teacher and later as a principal in the public schools at Port Penn and Marshallton, Delaware. While engaged in educational work, he studied law and decided to pursue it as a profession. He entered the law department of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and graduated in 1896. That same year he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Wilmington, Delaware, establishing himself in the legal community.

Brockson’s political career began at the state level. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in 1908 to the Delaware House of Representatives for the 1909–1910 session of the Delaware General Assembly. In that capacity he participated in the legislative process in Dover, representing his constituents under the state system in which elections were held the first Tuesday after November 1 and members of the General Assembly took office on the second Tuesday of January. His service in the state legislature helped position him for higher office and broadened his experience in public affairs.

In 1912 Brockson was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives from Delaware, joining the Democratic majority in the 63rd Congress. He took office on March 4, 1913, in accordance with the then-prevailing federal schedule under which U.S. Representatives began their two-year terms on March 4. Serving during President Woodrow Wilson’s administration, he represented Delaware at a time of major national reforms in areas such as banking, tariffs, and labor. During his term, Brockson was known as a supporter of corporal punishment, reflecting a stance on criminal justice that was part of contemporary debates. He contributed to the legislative process and participated in the democratic governance of the nation while representing the interests of his constituents in Delaware.

Brockson’s congressional service lasted for one term. Seeking reelection in 1914, he was defeated by Republican Thomas W. Miller, a Wilmington lawyer and the son of the incumbent Governor of Delaware, Charles R. Miller. Brockson’s tenure in Congress therefore extended from March 4, 1913, until March 3, 1915. After leaving the House of Representatives, he returned to private life and resumed the practice of law, maintaining offices and professional activity in both Clayton and Wilmington, Delaware.

Franklin Brockson spent his later years in Delaware, continuing his legal career until his death. He died at Clayton, Delaware, on March 16, 1942. He was interred in Odd Fellows Cemetery at Smyrna, Delaware, closing a life that had encompassed service as an educator, lawyer, state legislator, and member of the United States Congress.