Paul Wesley Brown (January 14, 1915 – November 17, 2000) was a Republican lawyer in the U.S. state of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

who served two non consecutive terms as a justice of the Ohio Supreme Court sandwiched around being appointed

Ohio Attorney General The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state, State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Republican Dave Yost. History The office ...

Biography

Paul Wesley Brown was born at

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

in 1915 to William and Mary E. Brown. He worked in a steel mill to support his education, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1937 from The

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, and a law degree in 1939 from Ohio State University College of Law. He entered private practice in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

with Falls, Hazel and Kerr.The Supreme Court of Ohio and The Ohio Judicial System - Paul Wesley Brown
/ref> In 1941, Brown volunteered as a lieutenant with the Reserve Field Artillery, and by 1942, he was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Armored Field Artillery,

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 ...

in North Africa. He returned stateside to recover from combat wounds after escaping an Italian prisoner-of-war camp, and was awarded a

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

and

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

. Brown returned to private practice in Youngstown with ''Williams, Andrews and Brown''. He was on the faculty of Youngstown State University, and served as liaison between the school and the state government, as the school transitioned from private to public status.

Judicial career

In 1960, Brown was elected to Ohio's 7th District Court of Appeals, and re-elected to a full term in 1962. He was elected to a short term on the Ohio Supreme Court in 1964, and to a full term in 1966. In 1968,

William B. Saxbe William Bart Saxbe ( ; June 24, 1916 – August 24, 2010) was an American diplomat and politician affiliated with the Republican Party, who served as a U.S. Senator for Ohio, and was the Attorney General for Presidents Richard M. Nixon and G ...

was elected

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

. Saxbe resigned, and December 1968, Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes appointed Brown as attorney general. Brown entered the Republican primary for governor in 1970, but lost. His term as AG ended in January 1971. Brown served as a trust officer for Ohio National Bank before returning to politics, winning election to the Supreme Court again in 1972, and re-election in 1978. He resigned August 31, 1981 to return to private practice in the Columbus office of Thompson, Hine and Flory of Cleveland.

Death

Brown married Helen Page in 1942 and they had seven children. He died in 2000 in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Paul W. Lawyers from Cleveland Politicians from Youngstown, Ohio Recipients of the Silver Star Ohio attorneys general Ohio Republicans Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court 1915 births 2000 deaths Ohio State University Moritz College of Law alumni Youngstown State University faculty American prisoners of war in World War II United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers World War II prisoners of war held by Italy Regents of the University of Michigan 20th-century American judges Lawyers from Youngstown, Ohio 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American academics