Jefferson County AlArchives Biographies.....Brown, Edward Austin 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 September 15, 2008, 8:20 pm

Author: Clement Richardson, Editor

EDWARD AUSTIN BROWN

   THERE are about 800 Negro lawyers in the United States. Some of them have
occupied positions of trust and prominence, political, judicial and diplomatic.
Yet whenever a colored man thinks of entering the legal profession he is
instructed to have well in mind Socrates' definition of courage. Said the sage,
"He who rushes into battle without knowing all the consequences does not
represent genuine courage but rashness." Thus it is with the law for the Negro.
Of all the professions it is very probably the least hospitable to the black
man. As a rule, he is not accorded a square deal in the courts of the South,
while in the North he finds himself, for the most part, up against the most
lively competition. He, then, who enters here must weigh between courage and
rashness; and he who succeeds in compelling a fair measure of success is either
a giant in intellect or a wizard in tact and diplomacy.

  That Edward A. Brown did not enter the law through rashness, through not
knowing the attendant dangers, can be fairly inferred from the fact that he was
born in the South, where the situation is quite patent. Mr. Brown was born in
Raleigh, N. C., forty odd years ago. After completing the public school course
in his native town he had private tuition in order to prepare himself for
college, and soon thereafter entered Lincoln university, in Pennsylvania, where
four years later he finished the collegiate course, graduating with honors. Just
as Mr. Brown was about to enter a New England Law school he was offered an
opportunity to study law in the office of Judge Henry McKinney, who was at the
time one of the ablest lawyers at the Cleveland, Ohio, bar. This offer was
accepted and in due time the young law student was admitted to the bar by the
Supreme Court of Ohio. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that of the 108
applicants for admission at the time, Mr. Brown offered the best examination.

  After practicing his profession for a while in Cleveland Mr. Brown came to
Alabama, where again he made a record in his examination for admission, winning
from the presiding judge the statement that this was the best examination he had
ever witnessed. Ever since his admission to the Alabama bar Mr. Brown has
pursued the active practice of his profession in Birmingham, where he resides,
except for the period of eight months during which he was an army officer at the
time of the Spanish-American War, serving under a commission of First Lieutenant
in the 10th U. S. Volunteer Infantry.

  Mr. Brown enjoys a lucrative practice and, like thousands of the best lawyers
of the country, is what is known as a "civil" lawyer, giving no attention to
criminal practice. He is regarded by the judges and members of the bar generally
as an able lawyer and as a man of the highest personal character. His clients
and friends believe in him, in his knowledge of the law, his integrity and his
unfailing sane judgment. To illustrate the unselfish public spirit of the man a
single incident may be related: The commissioners of the city of Birmingham,
following the example of certain other municipalities, undertook to enact a law
providing segregation of residences based upon race. Air. Brown, without being
employed or even requested, went before the commissioners with a strong protest
against the adoption of the proposed ordinance and made such a forceful argument
against its constitutionality as to defeat it then and there. Here was an
example of his unselfish spirit, for although this was legal service of the
highest order and dealing with a matter of far-reaching importance to his race,
not a dollar was charged by him or accepted.

  Mr. Brown has succeeded in accumulating a competency, owning a residence
valued at $5,000 and other real estate; and besides, he has some money. For
several years he has served as general attorney for the Knights of Pythias of
Alabama, of which fraternal order he is a leading and influential member. He is
active in all movements touching the welfare of his people and is one of the
really strong and substantial men of his community and state.

  The Brown family is small, consisting of Mrs. Brown and one son, Edward, Jr.
Mrs. Brown, who was Miss Nettie Jones of Cleveland, Ohio, is active in club work
and various charities. Edward, Jr., is a quiet, studious lad, having made first
year high school at the age of thirteen.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

The National Cyclopedia of The Colored Race

Editor-in-Chief

CLEMENT RICHARDSON
President of Lincoln Institute
Jefferson City, Mo.

ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Dr. C. V. ROMAN,
Nashville, Tenn.
Professor of Meharry Medical College.

W. T. B. WILLIAMS, Hampton Institute, Va.
Field Agent of the Jeannes and Slater Funds.

H. M. MINTON, M. D., Philadelphia, Pa.
Board of Directors Mercy Hospital.

SILAS X. FLOYD, Augusta, Ga.
Principal of City Schools.

DR. R. E. JONES, New Orleans, La.
Editor of South Western Christian Advocate.

DR. A. F. OWENS, Selma, Ala.
Dean of Theological Dept. Selma university.

FRED MOORE, New York City.
Editor New York Age.

ADVISORY BOARD

EMMETT J. SCOTT, Chairman,
Secretary of Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee Institute, Ala.

N. B. YOUNG, Tallahassee, Fla.
President of A. and M. College.

DR. J. W. E. BOWEN, Atlanta, Ga.
Dean of Gammon Theological Seminary.

J. R. E. LEE, Kansas City, Mo.
Principal of Lincoln High School.

J. S. CLARK, Baton Route, La.
President of Southern University.

DR. M. W. DOGAN, Marshall, Texas.
President of Wiley University.

Volume One
NATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, Inc.
PUBLISHERS
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
1919

COPYRIGHT 1919
NATIONAL PUBLISHING CO., Inc.
MONTGOMERY, ALA.


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