Joel B. Brown
Joel Bascom Brown (May 18, 1872 – April 13, 1953)[1] was a justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 1920 to 1921, and again from 1927 to 1953.
Biography[edit]
Born in Morgan County, Alabama,[2] Brown "attended the common schools" of his county,[3] and graduated from Hartselle College in 1889.[4] He read law to gain admission to the bar in Cullman County in 1892.[3][4]
In 1914, he ran for a seat on the state court of appeals,[3] to which he was elected, being sworn into office in November of that year.[5][6] In 1919, he was elected to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the resignation of Justice James J. Mayfield.[7]
In 1921, Benjamin M. Miller succeeded Brown, but "Brown returned to the Court in 1927, succeeding Justice Miller".[7]
Brown's second stint on the court lasted for 26 years, until his death on April 12, 1953. Brown was succeeded on the court by the appointment of Preston C. Clayton.[7]
Personal life and death[edit]
In 1898, Brown married Minnie Heidelberg of Cullman,[2] who had come there from her home state of California.[6] She died in 1939, and in 1941, he married Rebecca Knight Odum, daughter of associate justice Thomas E. Knight.[1][4]
Brown died at the age of 81 in a hospital in Montgomery, where he had been taken following a heart attack.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Heart Attack Proves Fatal To Justice Joel B. Brown", Alabama Journal (April 13, 1953), p. 1.
- ^ a b "Prominent Professional Men of Cullman", The Cullman Tribune (January 1, 1914), p. 7.
- ^ a b c "Col. J. B. Brown", The Cullman Tribune (February 12, 1914), p. 4.
- ^ a b c "Joel Bascom Brown" (PDF). Judiciary of Alabama. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ "Brown to Assume Duties This Week", Birmingham Post-Herald (November 18, 1914), p. 6.
- ^ a b "Wives of Appellate Court Justices", The Cullman Tribune (January 28, 1915), p. 5.
- ^ a b c "Alabama Appellate Courts: History of Supreme Court". Judiciary of Alabama. Retrieved September 27, 2023.