06/05/2026
As a little girl, Mary Hansome Gunn watched elegant women arrive at Missouri’s Governor’s Mansion from her front yard across the street. She never imagined that one day she would become Missouri’s First Lady and move into the brand-new mansion that still stands today.
Born in 1843, Mary grew up across from Missouri’s original Governor’s Mansion. In 1858, at just 15 years old, she caught the attention of future governor B. Gratz Brown while swinging in her yard. After a whirlwind courtship, the two married three months later when Mary was only 16.
The Browns eventually settled in St. Louis, where Gratz Brown built his political career. In 1870, he was elected Governor of Missouri, and 29-year-old Mary returned to Jefferson City as First Lady with five children and another on the way.
The aging Governor’s Mansion was in such poor condition that lawmakers approved funds to build a new Executive Mansion. While construction was underway, the Brown family lived on their farm. On January 20, 1872, they became the first family to move into the newly completed Governor’s Mansion—the same mansion Missourians know today.
One of the mansion’s most recognizable features, its four granite columns, came from Governor Brown’s own quarry. When the columns arrived nine inches too short, builders added bases beneath them, which remain visible today. The mansion’s grand staircase quickly became its showpiece and continues to impress visitors more than 150 years later.
In 1872, Gratz Brown was nominated for Vice President alongside Horace Greeley, though the ticket lost to President Ulysses S. Grant. After leaving office, the Browns returned to private life and expanded their family.
Gratz Brown passed away in 1884 at age 59. Mary died just three years later at only 46 years old.
Fun fact: Mary and Gratz Brown’s granddaughter was Margaret Wise Brown, author of the beloved children’s classic Goodnight Moon.
