Frederick William Brune IV (October 15, 1894 – February 19, 1972) was an American jurist who served as Chief Judge of the

Maryland Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Maryland is the state supreme court, highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its name was changed on December 14, 2022, from the Maryland Court of Appeals, after a voter-approved change to the state constitution. The cou ...

. Brune was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

to Frederick William Brune III and Blanche Shoemaker Brune. He received his early education from Gilman School. He attended

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

, and graduated with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1915. He graduated from the

Harvard University School of Law Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating la ...

with an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

in 1920. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Brune served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Intelligence and Ambulance Corps. He was admitted to the Maryland

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1921, and worked as an assistant U.S. Attorney from 1923 to 1924. He entered into private practice with William Coleman and Edward Morgan in 1924, and later worked in the practice of Morgan & Brune from 1927 to 1928. He later worked in the practice of Semmes, Bowen, & Semmes from 1928 to 1954. In 1954, Brune was appointed Chief Judge of the

, where he served until 1964. Brune also held positions of President of the Baltimore Bar Association (1939–1940); President of the Maryland Bar Association (1947–1948); fellow of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

; President of the

Maryland Historical Society The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC), formerly the Maryland Historical Society (MdHS), . founded on March 1, 1844, is the oldest cultural institution in the U.S. state of Maryland. The organization "collects, preserves, and inte ...

; and as a member of the

Board of Visitors In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual col ...

of Harvard Law School. Brune was married to Mary Washington Keyser, with whom he had two children, Frederick William Brune V and Caroline, who died in infancy.

References

Biography
from the Maryland Archives 1894 births 1972 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I Chief Judges of the Maryland Court of Appeals Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Lawyers from Baltimore Maryland lawyers United States Army soldiers 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers {{Maryland-state-judge-stub