Following his marriage Brayman began a series of westward moves, working as a city attorney in Michigan and newspaper editor in Ohio before settling in Springfield, Illinois, during the early 1840s.

[2] In 1844, Brayman gained statewide prominence by accepting a commission from Governor Thomas Ford to revise the Illinois legal code.

[4] Major General Mason Brayman was the highest ranking Civil War officer to have lived in the Lincoln’s neighborhood.

Following the war, Brayman attempted to revive his career with the Cairo and Fulton before returning to work as a newspaper editor in Springfield and Quincy, Illinois.

The delegate used the opportunity to accuse Territorial Secretary and Acting Governor E. J. Curtis of drunkenness, fraud, and misuse of public funds.

Opinions of the governor changed, however, when the 9th legislative session began in December 1876 and Brayman promoted a number of administrative improvements and economic reforms.

An investigation had convinced the governor that Secretary E. J. Curtis, who Brayman considered to be a leader of the Boise Ring, was guilty of wrongdoing.

Lacking legal basis for creation of a militia, Brayman was forced to rely upon General Oliver O. Howard's response to the hostilities.

The court faced a large backlog of cases involving mining disputes, and the delays thus caused were affecting the local economy.

The dispute escalated to violence and McGuinness killed two of the Chinese and wounded a third before the remaining workers stabbed the miner to death.

Demands from the territory's residents for weapons to defend themselves eventually led the governor to seek permission to issue arms from the federal stockpile at Fort Boise.

[14] Complicating the governor's position was the revelation that Brayman had authorized Bannock leader Buffalo Horn, a former army scout with a history of aiding the U.S. government, to purchase US$2 worth of ammunition (roughly 100 bullets and a pound of black powder) 13 days before outbreak of hostilities.

Hoyt, who at the time was Governor of Arizona Territory and as unaware of the action as Brayman, was being removed by President Hayes to make way for John C. Frémont who had used his political connections to secure an influential appointment.

Within the territory there were four petitions circulated expressing support for the embattled governor, one by Mormon residents, one in the northern counties, and two by anti-Ring groups.

With the conflicting opinions about Brayman, the Hayes administration decided to leave the governor in office till the expiration of his term on July 24, 1880.

[20] Unsuccessful in this effort he was forced to wait till after the 1880 Census when the governor would lead a three-man commission overseeing allocation of territorial representation.

His successor, John Baldwin Neil, however was named and arrived in the territory to take the oath of office before Brayman was able to complete his plans.

Lewiston-based newspaper editor Alonzo Leland, looking for a rallying point against the Boise Ring nominated the former governor to be the Territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress during the 1880 campaign.