Three Capitals

William Henderson Brantley, Jr. was born September 17, 1896 in Pike County, Alabama, and died June 19, 1964 in Birmingham. Brantley, a professional lawyer and amateur historian, had a deep love for the State of Alabama, and a continuing interest in her hiatory. His book Three Capitals: A Book About the First Three Capitals of Alabama, brings this love and interest into focus to a greater extent than any of his other works. Brantley's Three Capitals remains his most popular book and deserves republication after being out of print for some years. It is a meticulous, scholarly, and thorough work. In 1946 Mr. Brantley was one of the founders of the Alabama Historical Association, and remained one of it continuing counsellors and guides until his death. A Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Alabama, a graduate of Harvard University Law School, and a long-time trustee of Howard (now Samford University), he compiled many personal historical records including a diary, 1948-1956, all of which he donated to Samford University in 1963. These, along with his collection of rare books, manuscripts, and photographs, are available in the Brantley Room at Samford University Law Library.

'Three Capitals is an in-depth study of Alabama's first three seats of government--St. Stephens, Huntsville, and Cahawba.... The University of Alabama Press has reprinted the book in a handsome new edition with a pertinent introduction by Malcolm C. McMillan. Brantley's study is a tribute to the accomplishments of an amateur historian and contains a wealth of useful information.' --Bulletin of the History of the Early American Republic