Thomas Jefferson Brown

Thomas Jefferson Brown (July 24, 1836 – May 26, 1915) was an American jurist and politician. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives and represented the 27th district from 1889 until his resignation in 1892. He was a justice of the Supreme Court of Texas from May 1893 to May 1915, and was chief justice from January 1911 until his death on May 26, 1915.

Early life Thomas Jefferson Brown was born in Jasper County, Georgia, on July 24, 1836, as the son of Erwin and Mathilda (née Burdette) Brown. His father, Ervin Brown, was originally from North Carolina and moved to Jasper County, Georgia. His mother was from South Carolina, and was the daughter of Henry Burdette, who was a pioneer of Jasper County. Brown moved at the age of ten with his family to Washington County, Texas. He attended the public schools of Washington County attaining a Bachelor of Laws degree. He passed the bar exam the following year. He was a second lieutenant, and later captain, of the Twenty-second Texas Cavalry Regiment in the American Civil War. He resigned before the end of the war due to failing health. He was the Chair of the House Committee on Internal Improvements in 1889 and 1891. While a legislator, Brown "focused his energies on establishing regulations to curb corporate aggression and led an effort that resulted in the creation of the Texas Railroad Commission".

In his later years, his eyesight began to fail. At night, he would often walk the grounds of the Texas Capitol with a tall staff similar to a shepherd's crook, with a light hung on the top. He died at Greenville, Texas, of stomach cancer.