Daniel Brown Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1354-1355 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	DANIEL BROWN, present judge of Miner county, was born in Jackson 
county, Indiana, February 11, 1835, and it has been his fortune to owe 
allegiance to five of the great commonwealths until eventually he found 
a permanent abiding place in the "land of the Dakotas." When Mr. Brown 
appeared in the scene there was no organized educational system in the 
Hoosier state, such schools as they had being of the primitive character 
supported by private benevolence, the teachers "boarding around" and 
taking uncertain pay from patrons of the neighborhood. It was by 
irregular attendance at such fountains of learning that Mr. Brown 
acquired the rudiments of knowledge out of the old-fashioned speller and 
Pike's Arithmetic. When twelve years old his father migrated to 
Illinois, where he purchased land in Stephenson county and lived by 
farming the same until 1870. At this juncture Mr. Brown abandoned the 
paternal homestead and removed to Republic county, Kansas, but after a 
residence there of two years located in Franklin county, Nebraska. He 
lived in this county for twelve years and then made the final migration, 
as the result of which he became a permanent resident of South Dakota. 
When Mr. Brown settled in Spink county in 1884, the population was still 
sparse and the country undeveloped, but conditions speedily changed for 
the better as emigrants continued to pour in from all parts of the 
world. Until 1886 his occupation had been that of farming, but about 
that time he entered the practice of law, which vocation he has 
continued up to date. In politics he had been a Democrat until the 
formation of the People's party, but when that movement assumed form in 
the west Mr. Brown became one of the active participants. In 1897 he 
settled in Miner county and in 1900 he was nominated and elected on the 
fusion ticket as candidate for judge of Miner county, and two years 
later was re-elected on the fusion ticket and is now serving his second 
term in that office. 

	On December 24, 1857, while residing in Illinois, Mr. Brown was 
married to Deborah J. Cain, who died about two years later, leaving no 
issue. February 6, 1861, Mr. Brown married Miss Catherine Hawk, and has 
had five children, of whom those living are Mrs. Jennie Craig, D. F. and 
C. P. Brown. Since his residence at Howard Mr. Brown has proven himself 
a useful and intelligent citizen. He is a student of public questions 
and especially well informed on the great economic issues which have 
divided parties so radically since the memorable campaign of 1889. He 
was painstaking and industrious as a farmer, equally so in the 
transaction of legal business and brought to the bench a good stock of 
common sense as a basis for correct interpretation of the law.