Jefferson Beale Browne (June 6, 1857 – May 4, 1937) was a public official and legislator who also served as a justice of the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

from 1917 to 1925, including service as chief justice from 1917 to 1923. Born in

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

, Florida,Erik Robinson, "Florida Supreme Court Justices: List of Life Dates", Florida Supreme Court Historical Society (June 2010). to businessman and politician Joseph Beverly Browne and Anne (Neives) Browne, Browne's "first job after graduating from high school was as assistant keeper on

Fowey Rocks Lighthouse Fowey Rocks Light is located seven miles southeast of Cape Florida on Key Biscayne. The lighthouse was completed in 1878, replacing the Cape Florida Light. It was automated on May 7, 1975, and is still in operation. The structure is cast iron, wi ...

". As a lighthouse keeper, Browne was able to dedicate his long hours of isolation to studying the law.George Walter Born, ''Historic Florida Keys: An Illustrated History of Key West & the Keys'' (2003), p. 32. He then received a law degree from the University of Iowa. Browne thereafter had "a hopscotch career", including stints as a "county surveyor, postmaster, city attorney, president of the Florida Senate, U.S. Customs collector at the port of Key West, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, and chairman of the Florida Railroad Commission".Stephanie Murphy-Lupo, ''All Aboard!: A History of Florida's Railroads'' (2016), p. 197. In 1912, Browne wrote a history of Key West, ''Key West: The Old and the New''. Browne was "elected to the state Senate in 1890—and became president of the Senate at its first session in April, 1891". While serving in this office, he introduced an 1893 bill to grant

Henry Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founde ...

's Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Indian River Railway a charter to extend the railroad to the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

. In 1904, Browne was elected chairman of the

Florida Railroad Commission The Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, and water and wastewater utilities. The FPSC facilitates competitive markets in the telecommunications industry, has authority over intercarrier disputes ...

. Browne was elected to the Florida Supreme Court in 1916, served from January 2, 1917, to January 1923 as Chief Justice and from January 1923 to May 20, 1925, as an associate justice. As a Justice, Browne was particularly concerned with property rights, and avoiding government encroachment on such rights. He wrestled with the concept of prohibition of alcohol, a major political issue during his time on the court, writing of an inclination to support laws addressing the negative effects of alcohol consumption, but ultimately deciding that protecting personal property rights against government interference was an overriding concern.John J. Guthrie, ''Keepers of the Spirits: The Judicial Response to Prohibition Enforcement in Florida, 1885—1935'' (1998), p. 28. Browne died in Key West.

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* Justices of the Florida Supreme Court 1857 births 1937 deaths People from Key West, Florida Presidents of the Florida Senate American lighthouse keepers University of Iowa College of Law alumni {{Florida-state-judge-stub