PHILIP CORNELIUS BRANNEN
Arizona, The Youngest State, 1913, pg 634

Philip Cornelius Brannen, one of the enterprising and 
progressive business men of Tucson, is now identified 
with mercantile interests as a successful clothier.  
He was born in Ottawa, Canada, June 12, 1864 and is of 
Irish lineage. His paternal grandparents were natives 
of Ireland, the grandfather having been born in County 
Cavan, while the grandmother came from Cork.  They 
settled in Canada and at Van Kleek Hill, Canada, occurred 
the birth of their son, Philip R. Brannen, who engaged in 
the business of mining and contracting.  He was one of the 
men who helped to make history in the western country.  He 
took the contract to build some of the snow sheds on the 
Central Pacific Railroad through the Sierra Nevada Mountains 
and was identified with mining at White Pine, California, in 
the latter part of 1868 and 1869.  When he went to California 
in 1867 he made the trip around Cape Horn.  In 1870 and 1871 
he followed mining at Eureka, Nevada and won a fortune.  In 
the spring of 1872 he returned to Canada and removed his 
family to Champaign, Illinois, where he settled on a large 
farm, making his home there until his death. In the meantime, 
however, he had become interested in mining in Colorado.  
The farm is still in the possession of his son, Philip C. 
Brannen, who is the only survivor of the family of three 
sons. One brother, Dr. Dennis J. Brannen, was a pioneer of 
Arizona.  The father passed away in Illinois in July 1898 
and the mother's death occurred in the year 1908.

Philip C. Brannen was a lad of about eight years when he 
accompanied his parents on their removal to Illinois.  He 
supplemented a public school education by study in the 
University of Illinois at Champaign and his practical business 
training was that of the farm, with the work of which he early 
became familiar.  He was a young man of twenty three years, 
when in 1887 he left Illinois and came to Arizona, spending 
some time at work in mercantile establishments in Flagstaff 
and in Phoenix.  In 1897 he arrived in Tucson and for four 
years was employed in the clothing department of the store 
operated by the Albert Steinfeld Company, dry-goods merchants, 
gaining during that time a practical experience which has 
proved invaluable to him in the conduct of his independent 
enterprise.  In 1901 he established himself in the clothing 
business and has since won substantial success, securing, in 
recognition of his well selected line of goods, his 
courteous service and reasonable prices, a large and 
representative patronage.  This does not, however, cover 
the scope of his business activities and interests for he 
is a director of the Gila Land and Cattle Company and a 
director of the Consolidated National Bank.

At Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Brannen was united in marriage to 
Miss Elizabeth M. Barry, a native of Canada and a daughter 
of Michael J. and Mary (Lynch) Barry.  Mr. Barry was engaged 
extensively in the lumber business at Barry Lakes, Canada and 
it was in honor of him that the lakes were named. He 
subsequently removed to Rochelle, Illinois, retiring from 
active business at that time. Both he and his wife have now 
passed away.  To Mr. and Mrs. Brannen have been born three 
children, Dorothy Mary, Phyllis M. and Philip Barry all now 
students in the high school of Tucson.

USGenWeb Project NOTICE: 
In keeping with our policy of providing free information 
on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as
long as this message remains on all copied material. These 
electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for
profit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. 

Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must 
obtain express written permission from the author, or 
the submitter and from the 
listed USGenWeb Project archivist. 

submitted by burns@asu.edu