George M. Brown
Encyclopedia
George M. Brown was an American
attorney and judge in the state of Oregon
. He was the 50th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
and the 5th attorney general
of the state from 1915 to 1920. An Oregon born and educated attorney, he previously worked as a district attorney in Southern Oregon
.
’s Douglas County
. His parents Thomas Brown and Sarah Fleet Brown immigrated to Oregon Country
in 1847. In Oregon, George was educated in the local schools before attending and graduating from Umpqua Academy in 1883. He then went onto Willamette University
in Salem, Oregon
, where he graduated in 1885. After reading law
in Salem, Brown passed the bar
in 1891.
for Oregon’s 2nd district while headquartered in Roseburg
. He was then reelected and continued in that position until 1908. In 1914, Brown was elected as Oregon's Attorney General as a Republican with his term beginning on January 4, 1915. In this role he represented the state along with John O. Bailey
in the United States Supreme Court case of Bunting v. Oregon
that upheld an Oregon law in a landmark decision regulating the number of maximum hours an employer could work an employee. He was reelected in 1918 and continued as attorney general until October 14, 1920, when he resigned the position.
Also on October 14, Oregon Governor
Ben W. Olcott
appointed Brown to the state supreme court bench after Alfred S. Bennett
resigned from the court. That same year he won election to a full six-year term on the bench. In 1926, Brown won reelection and then left the court at the end of that term in 1933.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney and judge in the state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He was the 50th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
and the 5th attorney general
Oregon Attorney General
The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan election to serve a term...
of the state from 1915 to 1920. An Oregon born and educated attorney, he previously worked as a district attorney in Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
.
Early life
George Brown was born on May 5, 1864 in Southern OregonSouthern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
’s Douglas County
Douglas County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Crater Lake National Park * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Siuslaw National Forest * Umpqua National Forest * Willamette National Forest -Adjacent counties:* Lane County, Oregon -...
. His parents Thomas Brown and Sarah Fleet Brown immigrated to Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
in 1847. In Oregon, George was educated in the local schools before attending and graduating from Umpqua Academy in 1883. He then went onto Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, where he graduated in 1885. After reading law
Reading law
Reading law is the method by which persons in common law countries, particularly the United States, entered the legal profession before the advent of law schools. This usage specifically refers to a means of entering the profession . A small number of U.S...
in Salem, Brown passed the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1891.
Legal career
From 1894 until 1896 George Brown was the district attorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for Oregon’s 2nd district while headquartered in Roseburg
Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the county seat of Douglas County. The population was 21,181 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. He was then reelected and continued in that position until 1908. In 1914, Brown was elected as Oregon's Attorney General as a Republican with his term beginning on January 4, 1915. In this role he represented the state along with John O. Bailey
John O. Bailey
John Ora Bailey was an American judge and politician in the state of Oregon. He was the 27th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving on Oregon’s highest court from 1933 to 1950. Bailey also served in the Oregon House of Representatives and the Oregon State Senate...
in the United States Supreme Court case of Bunting v. Oregon
Bunting v. Oregon
Bunting v. Oregon, 243 U.S. 426 , is a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld a ten-hour work day. The trials of Bunting v. Oregon resulted in acceptance of a ten-hour workday for both men and women, but the state minimum-wage laws weren't changed until twenty years later...
that upheld an Oregon law in a landmark decision regulating the number of maximum hours an employer could work an employee. He was reelected in 1918 and continued as attorney general until October 14, 1920, when he resigned the position.
Also on October 14, Oregon Governor
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
Ben W. Olcott
Ben W. Olcott
Ben W. Olcott was the 16th Governor of Oregon, U.S.-Early life:Olcott was born in Keithsburg, Illinois. He was educated at a Keithsburg elementary school and a business school in Dixon, later becoming a clerk in Chicago. In 1891, at age 19, he moved to Salem, Oregon, and became a roommate and...
appointed Brown to the state supreme court bench after Alfred S. Bennett
Alfred S. Bennett
Alfred Silas Bennett was an American judge, educator, and attorney in Oregon. He was the 49th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving from 1919 to 1920. Previously he had served as a state circuit court judge and as a county school superintendent...
resigned from the court. That same year he won election to a full six-year term on the bench. In 1926, Brown won reelection and then left the court at the end of that term in 1933.