Homer Sylvester Brown (September 23, 1896 – May 22, 1977) was an American judge, civil rights leader, and elected state representative in Pennsylvania. In a career of firsts, he was the first African American in a variety of leadership roles, including the first African American ever appointed to the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education and the first president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...

Career

Brown was born in Huntington, West Virginia September 23, 1896. He graduated from

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...

and received his law degree from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

in 1923. He was first elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the Pittsburgh neighborhood known as the

Hill District The Hill District is a grouping of historically African American neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beginning in the years leading up to World War I, "the Hill" was the cultural center of black life in the city and a major cent ...

, in 1934. He served seven consecutive terms until 1950. During his tenure, Capitol news correspondents twice voted him "most able member" of the Pennsylvania House. Brown served as judge in the Allegheny County Court, as well as the Court of Common Pleas from 1950-1975, the first African American to be elected as a judge in the county.

Personal life

Brown married Wilhelmina Byrd in 1927 and had a son, Byrd Rowlett Brown, who was also active in promoting civil rights. Homer S. Brown died on May 22, 1977, in Pittsburgh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Homer S. African-American judges Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 1896 births 1977 deaths Virginia Union University alumni University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni Activists from Pennsylvania Activists for African-American civil rights Politicians from Huntington, West Virginia African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas 20th-century American judges Lawyers from Pittsburgh County judges in the United States 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century African-American politicians Lawyers from Huntington, West Virginia African-American men in politics