BIO: John B. Bratton, Cumberland County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Bookwalter Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/ ______________________________________________________________________ History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania. Containing History of the Counties, Their Townships, Towns, Villages, Schools, Churches, Industries, Etc.; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; Biographies; History of Pennsylvania; Statistical and Miscellaneous Matter, Etc., Etc. Illustrated. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1886. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/beers/beers.htm ______________________________________________________________________ PART II. HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY. PENNSYLVANIA. CHAPTER XXXVIII. BOROUGH OF CARLISLE. 370 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. JOHN B. BRATTON, retired editor, Carlisle, was born in Mifflintown, Juniata Co., Penn., and learned the art of printing in the Juniata Free Press office. He worked as a journeyman printer for three years, and in 1840, in connection with two partners, started the State Capitol Gazette, at Harrisburg. At the end of one year he bought out his partners; was elected State printer three times. In 1845 he sold the Gazette and bought 371 BOROUGH OF CARLISLE. the American Volunteer, of Carlisle, which paper he conducted ably for thirty-two years, when he sold out to S. M. Wherry. In 1848 he was a prominent candidate for the responsible office of canal commissioner, and came within a few votes of securing the nomination by the Democratic State Convention. He had carried the Southern tier of counties (Perry, Fulton, Franklin, Cumberland, Adams and York) without missing a delegate, but Simon Cameron (then a Democrat and a delegate to the convention) was hostile to Mr. Bratton and worked hard for his defeat. Seth Clover was nominated by a trifling majority. In 1867 Mr. Bratton was a candidate for State senator and carried his county, Cumberland, triumphantly. Four of his instructed delegates, however, voted for his competitor, Col. Chestnut, who was nominated and elected. In the year following Mr. Bratton was a candidate for Congress, and carried the county; but here again bad luck followed him, six of his instructed delegates forsook him and voted for Col. Haldeman, who was nominated by the skin of his teeth and elected. Two years later Mr. Bratton again contended against Haldeman and defeated him, under the Crawford County system, by 700 majority, but Haldeman was again nominated by receiving the votes of the six conferees from York and Perry to Bratton's three from Cumberland. In 1880 Mr. Bratton was again a candidate for Congress, but was defeated by F. E. Beltzhoover, who was elected and re-elected. Mr. Bratton was postmaster of Carlisle under Presidents Pierce and Buchanan, and of the latter he was a personal friend. He was a member of the town council, and for several years president of that body. He is at this writing a director of the Carlisle Gas and Water Company; is a member of the board of education of Carlisle and president of the body; a director in the Carlisle Deposit Bank; a director of the Carlisle Land Association and president of the body; also a director in the Hamilton Fund Association. Mr. Bratton has filled efficiently all offices of trust to which he has been called by his fellow-citizens, and has been elected to more non- paying offices than any man in Cumberland County, holding often, during the last thirty years, four, five and sometimes six of these thankless offices at the same time. He has been a strong and consistent Democrat, a recognized power in his party. As an editor he was trenchant, often bitter, and during the period of his greatest strength, when he was editor of the Volunteer, that paper was quoted from, editorially, in almost every State in the union. Mr. Bratton is now living in retirement in Carlisle.