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Henry Billings Brown
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States · 1875–1890
Henry Billings Brown , Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Henry Billings Brown (March 2, 1836 – September 4, 1913) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1891 to 1906. Although a respected lawyer and U.S. District Judge before ascending to the high court, Brown is harshly criticized for writing the majority opinion in Plessy v.
Positions
- Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States1890-12-29–1906-05-28
Education
- Yale Law School
- Harvard Law School
- Yale CollegeB.A., 1856
- Read law1860
Career
Private practice, Detroit, Michigan, 1860-1861, 1868-1875; Deputy U.S. marshal, Eastern District of Michigan, 1861-1863; Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Michigan, 1863-1868; Judge, Wayne County [Michigan] Circuit Court, 1868; Lecturer in law, University of Michigan, 1860-1875; Professor of medical jurisprudence, Detroit Medical College, 1868-1871
Biography
Henry Billings Brown (March 2, 1836 – September 4, 1913) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1891 to 1906. Although a respected lawyer and U.S. District Judge before ascending to the high court, Brown is harshly criticized for writing the majority opinion in Plessy v.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
More
From Senate roll call votes, Wikidata, Wikipedia and Office of Government Ethics records.
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Capitol Receipts, “Henry Billings Brown : Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the…,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/appointee/j284/henry-billings-brown (accessed 2026-10-13).