Jacob Hay Brown (September 11, 1849 – October 10, 1930) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1899 to 1915 and chief justice from 1915 to 1921.

Biography

J. Hay Brown was born on September 11, 1849, in

York, Pennsylvania York ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populati ...

. He attended Gettysburg College, graduating in 1866. He studied law, becoming an associate of William U. Hensel in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

, in the law firm Brown and Hensel. He subsequently became city solicitor of Lancaster in 1874, serving until 1876, when he became Lancaster County solicitor. In 1899, Brown was elected to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He served as an associate justice until becoming chief justice in 1914. He served as chief justice until his retirement in January 1921. He was the last Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to come from south-central Pennsylvania until

Thomas G. Saylor Thomas G. Saylor (born December 14, 1946) is a former chief justice and associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and a former judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. A member of the Republican Party, Saylor retired from his s ...

, who became chief justice in January 2015. Brown died in Lancaster on October 10, 1930. Brown was a member of the

Pennsylvania Bar Association The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in Pennsylvania, United States. The association offers membership benefits, including publications, practice support, networking, and continuing ed ...

and 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 ...

and held an honorary LL.D. degree from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, awarded in 1916.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Jacob Hay 1849 births 1930 deaths Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Gettysburg College alumni Chief Justices of Pennsylvania