Armstead Brown

Armstead Brown (June 6, 1875 – October 29, 1951) was a Justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 1925 to 1946.

For the Wisconsin farmer, miner, and lawyer, see Armstead C. Brown.

Born in Talbotton, Georgia in 1875,[1] Brown dropped out of school at the age of 14 to become the personal secretary to former Confederate general John Brown Gordon.[2] Brown studied law in Alabama under the tuition of his uncle, Judge J. R. Dowdell, who later joined the Alabama Supreme Court.[3] He was admitted to the bar in Alabama in 1897, and practiced law in Montgomery, Alabama before being appointed a judge.[4] In 1915, Brown moved to Jacksonville, Florida, before moving to Miami two years later.[3]

Governor John W. Martin appointed Brown to the Florida Supreme Court in 1925, and he was called to the bench on July 1.[4][1] He largely followed a middle-of-the road between liberal and conservative judicial philosophy, although his opinions largely used detailed outlines of reasoning and conservative language. Brown handled cases involving zoning laws and technical interpretations of the state constitution.[2] Brown served two terms as Chief Justice, from December 4, 1925 to January 11, 1927 and from January 1941 to January 1943.[1] He retired on December 1, 1946, a month ahead of his scheduled retirement.[5]

Brown died at the Plaza Hotel in New York, New York on October 29, 1951. He was celebrating his anniversary with his wife, and the death was attributed to a heart condition.[6] Five of his diaries from the 1940s were donated to the Florida Supreme Court Library and present a view of his life on the court.[4]

References

1. Erik Robinson, "Florida Supreme Court Justices: List of Life Dates", Florida Supreme Court Historical Society (June 2010).
2. "Justice Brown Not to Run for Re-election". The Tampa Tribune. December 30, 1945. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
3. Joseph A. Boyd Jr., Randall Reder, "A History of the Florida Supreme Court", University of Miami Law Review (1981), p. 1050.
4. "Justice Armstead Brown". Florida Supreme Court. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
5. "Major Shifts in State Jobs Slated Today". The Tampa Tribune. December 1, 1946. p. 12. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Armstead Brown, 76, Dies in New York". The Tampa Times. October 29, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

Political offices
Preceded by Jefferson B. Browne	Justice of the Florida Supreme Court 1925–1946	Succeeded by Paul D. Barns