EDWARD AUSTIN BROWN
HERE arc 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 com petition. He, then, who enters here must weigh between courage and rashness ; and he who suc ceeds 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 at tendant dangers, can be fairly inferred from the fact that he was born in the South, where the sit uation is quite patent. Mr. Brown was born
in
Raleigh, N. C., forty odd years ago. After com pleting 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 oppor tunity 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 ad mission, 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 at tention 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 char acter. His clients and friends believe in him, in his knowledge of the law, his integrity and his unfail ing sane judgment. To illustrate the unselfish public spirit of the man a single incident may be related: The commissioners of the city of Bir mingham, following the example of certain other municipalities, undertook to enact a law providing segregation of residences based upon race. Mr. Brown, without being employed or even requested, went before the commissioners with a strong pro test against the adoption of the proposed ordinance and made such a forceful argument against its con stitutionality 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 deal ing 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 com petency, 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 mem ber. 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.
