Bryan Mullanphy was born in Baltimore in 1809 and the family moved to St. Louis in 1819.

In 1847, running as an independent, he was elected to a one-year term as Mayor.

[1] A collection of Native American artefacts that Mullanphy donated to Stonyhurst College (his alma mater) in England was purchased by the British Museum in 2003.

[2] A wealthy man and a philanthropist, Mullanphy is remembered more for his charitable work than his political service.

His will provided that one-third of his holdings were to go to the City via a trust fund for the relief of emigrants and travelers coming to St. Louis on their way to settle in the western part of the United States.