The Washington union., 1857-06-09
From Richmond Enquirer
SKETCH OF THE PRESENT POSTMASTER GEN

The Hon. AARON NENABLk BROWN, the present dlstln-
gushed Postmaster General of the United States was
born ON the 18th August 1885, in Brunswick county
Virginia His father, the Rev Aaron Brown, of
the earliest and most faithful adherens to the
which induced the American ooonists forward and
strike blow for their independence and the correla
tive freedom of the American continent He participated
in the stirring scenes at Trenton and shared the prya
tons and pers of his compatiotsinams in the memora
BILE winter encampment at Valley Forge Al the close of
his soldier of the revolution he returned To
the county of Brunswick where he continued 10 live for
many years afterwards beloved and respected by the
and daughters of that splendid beneaction to whose
achievement he had offered his earliest patriotism
publican of the old Jeffersonian school incoupble
patriot and faithful minister of the Methodist persua-
son he was widely known a pure hearted and pious
pilgrim of exemplary Christianity The subject of this
sketch the issue of his second marriage with Eliza
beth Melton of Northampton county, North Carolina.
At the close of several years OF careful elementary prep
aaton under the best tutors Gov Brown entered college
proper at Chapel H the University of North Carolina
in 1872. In 1914, after having pcssed successfully
through the trying scholastic ordeal he graduated with
the first honoB OF his class and the institution In the
class of which Willie Mangum and Gov Man
ly were members, Gov Brown was, with great unanimy,
selected to deliver the annual vedctory Grafton
mencement dayan honor grateful to the high hearts
and swelling bosoms of young and enthusiastic collegans
it is complimentary their genius and learning and
the bestowal of which, in this instance handsomely
acknowledged by the youthful orator in the excellence
and graces of his address, and in the striking impression
produced upon his large and interested auditory His
college career, however like that Of most other young
men, was not marked by any incidents peculiar in them
selves other than his cheerful conformity to the rules of
the institution and his multiplied proofs of future useful
Having escaped the restraints which the system of the
schools had long imposed upon him, Governor Brown
ushered from the walls of his beloved Alma Mater into the
wide world, with an intellect matured and disciplined
that when experience should add the Of her
household he might go forth safely presuming upon
wellsustaned part in the diverse dgladiaons of life its
busy fluctuations and its vast Casting about
to nj nm N
sener battles of life, the of the country, the
rapid growth and development of Tennessee, and the
wide field of labor and enterprise open to the embarkment
of his untred fortunes in that section induced him. to-
gether with his aged parents to there in the early
part of the year 1874 Immediately after his removal to
Tennessee he entered upon the study of the law in the
office of the late Judge Irmbe, of Nashville gentle
to whose high legal attainmens and aborious learn
ing Gov b. much of his subsequent at the
bar-and where, after having devoted himself TO his
chosen profession for the length of time then prescribed
by the statutes of that State he procured license and
opened Office
Commencing the practice at bar remarkable alike for
its numbers as well as its talents he found compe
on of powers and amount of learning that required
chds play to match much less overcome. The bar
of Nashville at that day contained array of names,
of which have since become widely known in the
civil and criminal annals of onr law judicature. The
most splendid gifts in constant exercise, and the
mastery of mind touched and frightened everything in
the way of litigation The face philosophical the
heart probed the tested the brain gauged the wit
WelSneu weakness detected by the quick
tation and turned upon its possessor with the force of
avalanche by the fertile gifts of the legal gentlemen
Nothing the arest union and most delicate combna
ton of all the powers of mind and the instantaneous
varied complete and perfect command Of all the
of thought speech, and aconthose amplied and due
tile expedents of the advocate-coud young
from outright discontinue, if not actual and ultimate
professional immoation. To have achieved at
such bar where the tinse of words and the prettness
of expression overshadowed and lost in the rough
grasp OF the law and the fact and where bold thoughts
and rapid and intuitivc sagacty the staple, and
a pictorial power and beauty OF language the hand
maidens is of itself capital commentary well upon
the ingenuity of the special peader upon the arts and
felicity of the advocate Like Sargean s. Prcnss who
came in youth from Maine to Mississippi to win mmor
tai fame, Aaron Y. Brown in youth from the Old
Dominion to Nashville to win and place in her
local denesnes and, like him, hcraded by great
cestra name and endorsed alone by his genius he walk
ed straight up to the first practice the bar both civil
and criminal asking leave Of its veterans conciating
no patronage stunning no responsibility, begging
favos and winkng at all precedence ready and willing
at oil times to show the ring of the metal that in him
The rapdity of his the law was no more mat
ter of surprise to the people and astonsent the pro-
ession than the general ability with which he sustained
himself after securing his position.
After years of practice at the bar of Nashville
Alfred M Harris very eminent lawyer of that region
of country, and who had large and lucrative a
practice IN the more southern counties of middle Ten
nessee that he unable to give it that personal
attention and supervision which its Importance de-
manded, made propositions to Gov Brown which in
duced him to remove from Nashville to Pulaski in
Giles county short time after the copartnership be-
tween Mr. Harris and Gov Brown ceased James X Polk
commenced his in the adjoining county of Maury
A personal, professional and business intimacy soon
spang up between these distinguished gentlemen which
lasted until Mr. Polk commenced his political career
when it was dissolved but that dissolution brought
termination to their cordial friendship personal and po-
htca and which ended alone with the death of the la
mened President whose mortal dissolution was witnessed
and soened by the presence of his early friend and part
ner Gov Brown continued his professional pursuits up
to the 1921 when he elected to the State
from the county of Giles and from that period until 1882,
save term in which he not candidate he served
the people of that county either in senatorial repre-
sentative capacity with distinguished ability and fidelity
The intervals occurring in his service to the State
chiefly employed in the courts and from which he derived
as much real pleasure substantial profit
The limits of this sketch allow the writer scope for
the elaboration of Gov. Browns State legiss
tor. Suffice it, that of the trainers of the pera-
nent statutes of the State he known far and wide for
his efforts to build up and sustain able enlightened and
liberal system of jurisprudence and for which he
accounted of the abest of his time in view of
his capacity lawyer and therefore presumed to have
understood the defects well the mode and
of the remedies to be applied At the session of lS32
Gov Brown prepared at the instance of the legislature
very elaborate and able report upon the subject of capi
tai punishment which contained arguments new,
novel, and more than ordinarily attractive and interesting
This report awakened interest and attracted large
share of public attention throughout the country and
evinced well-matured disposition to diminish the
Der of offences coming within the purvew of the capital
code. Upon this upon all other subjects of reform