Mr. Speaker, I too rise in support of H.R. 185, as has been stated, a bill designating the United States courthouse located at 101 East Pecan Street in Sherman, Texas, as the Paul Brown United States…
Mr. Speaker, I too rise in support of H.R. 185, as has been stated, a bill designating the United States courthouse located at 101 East Pecan Street in Sherman, Texas, as the Paul Brown United States Courthouse.
Judge Brown was an outstanding Federal judge who passed away on November 26, 2012, after 21 years of very distinguished service. Judge Brown was my good friend, a respected judge, and beloved member of the Sherman, Texas, community.
Judge Brown represented the finest qualities of jurisprudence. Hanging on his wall in the Sherman Federal Courthouse were Socrates' four qualities for a good judge: to hear courteously; to answer wisely; to consider soberly; and to decide impartially. Judge Brown embodied all of these qualities, and he dispensed justice accordingly. He was highly regarded, well-respected, and was a role model for many.
Judge Brown was the youngest of a family of six raised on a farm in Pottsboro, Texas. He graduated from Denison High School and, although underage, he was able to get his parents' consent to join the United States Navy when World War II broke out. He served on a minesweeper in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters and as a part of the occupation forces in Japan. He was discharged as an electrician's mate 2nd class in June 1946.
He returned to his studies and received a law degree in 1950 from the University of Texas before being recalled to Active Duty in the Korean war. He saw combat aboard a minesweeper which was sunk by mines. He received an honorable discharge in December 1951.
Judge Brown worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Texarkana under U.S. attorney William Steger, who would become his mentor, good friend, and eventually fellow colleague on the bench. He served as assistant U.S. attorney from 1953 to 1959, and then followed in Judge Steger's footsteps as U.S. district attorney from 1959 to 1961.
While in Texarkana, he met and married Frances Morehead, and the two returned home to Sherman, where he practiced law for a number of years. In 1985, Senator Phil Gramm recommended him to President Reagan for a new judge's position created by the Eastern District of Texas, and he was confirmed that year. He held court in Beaumont, Paris, Sherman, and Texarkana, and as the caseload grew, he eventually presided over the Sherman courthouse exclusively.
Premier cases over the years included intellectual property, patent cases, and criminal cases precipitated by the bank and savings and loan failures of the 1980s and 1990s. In recent years, he noted the increase in drug cases and expressed his regret that in spite of all the efforts that have been made to prosecute drug dealers, the Nation is not making much progress in curtailing the use of drugs. No matter what type of cases came before him, Judge Brown always enjoyed the work and ran an efficient and orderly courtroom. His personal ethics and judicial integrity were remarkable, and his reputation for punctuality is legendary.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life of a great American, outstanding public servant, and respected jurist. This bill has the support of the Federal judges in the Eastern District, and I ask for your support of H.R. 185, to designate the United States courthouse in Sherman, Texas, the Paul Brown United States Courthouse.
