Edgar Allan Brown
Encyclopedia
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
from Barnwell County
Barnwell County, South Carolina
-History:The Barnwell District was created in 1798 from the southwestern portion of the Orangeburg District, along the Savannah River...
who served South Carolina from 1922-1972. He was a principal member of the so-called "Barnwell Ring
Barnwell Ring
The so-called "Barnwell Ring" was a grouping of influential Democratic South Carolina political leaders from Barnwell County. The group included state Senator Edgar A. Brown, state Representative Solomon Blatt, Sr., Governor Joseph Emile Harley, and state Representative Winchester Smith, Jr...
".
Early life and career
Brown was born near Shiloh Springs in Aiken CountyAiken County, South Carolina
Aiken County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 142,552; in 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had reached 160,099...
to Augustus Abraham Brown and Elizabeth Howard Brown. He, accompanied by his oldest sibling, Minnie, attended the China Springs School close to Edgefield Road. He was also educated at The Graniteville Academy which was maintained by the Graniteville Company. Edgar decided to drop out of the academy in 1904 and to instead apply himself to the business course of study at Osborne's in Augusta, Georgia. From 1905 to 1906 he served as a court reporter and from 1906 to 1907 he was a law clerk and head stenographer for the Henderson firm in Aiken
Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken is a city in and the county seat of Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. With Augusta, Georgia, it is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. It is part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area. Aiken is home to the University of South...
while also studying law. In 1908, Brown was appointed the official court stenographer
Court reporter
A court reporter, stenotype reporter, voice writing reporter, or transcriber is a person whose occupation is to transcribe spoken or recorded speech into written form, using machine shorthand or voice writing equipment to produce official transcripts of court hearings, depositions and other...
of the 2nd Judicial Circuit after competitive examination and relocated to Barnwell to serve Judge Aldrich who had need of his services. Brown passed the state bar examination in June 1910 and was admitted to practice law the same year.
Having established himself as an attorney, Brown continued to court and spark Miss Annie Love Sitgreaves a teacher, originally from Laurens, whom he had met in Aiken- and he and James F. Byrnes, whom Brown had replaced as Court Stenographer when Jimmy ran for Solicitor, became so close that Brown asked Jimmy to be the best man at his wedding.
Political career
At the age of 26 in 1914, Brown became the chairman of the Democratic executive committee of Barnwell CountyBarnwell County, South Carolina
-History:The Barnwell District was created in 1798 from the southwestern portion of the Orangeburg District, along the Savannah River...
and also served as a member of the state Democratic executive committee. In 1921, Brown was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the upper house being the South Carolina Senate. It consists of 124 Representatives elected to two year terms at the same time as US Congressional elections...
and he became the speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the body in 1925. From 1922 to 1926, Brown was the chairman of the state Democratic Party
South Carolina Democratic Party
The South Carolina Democratic Party is the South Carolina affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. The Democratic party thrived during the Second Party System between 1832 and the mid-1850s and was one of the causes of the collapse of the Whig Party....
. Brown resigned his speakership in 1926 to challenge Senator Ellison D. Smith
Ellison D. Smith
Ellison DuRant "Cotton Ed" Smith was a Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. He represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1909 until 1944....
in the Democratic primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, but fell short by 5,000 votes in the runoff election
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
.
In 1928, Brown returned to the statehouse
South Carolina State House
The South Carolina State House is the building housing the government of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The building houses the South Carolina General Assembly and the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Until 1971, it also housed the Supreme Court...
, this time as the senator
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
for Barnwell County. Brown once again challenged Senator Smith, along with Olin D. Johnston
Olin D. Johnston
Olin DeWitt Talmadge Johnston was a Democratic Party politician from the US state of South Carolina. He served as the 98th Governor of South Carolina, 1935–1939 and 1943–1945, and represented the state in the United States Senate from 1945 until his death in 1965.-Early Life, Military Involvement,...
, in the 1938 Democratic primary, but Smith pulled out another victory. In 1942, Brown was elected by the state senate to the position of President Pro Tempore
Pro tempore
Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
, a position he held along with the chairmanship of the finance committee for thirty years. Upon the death of Senator Burnet R. Maybank
Burnet R. Maybank
Burnet Rhett Maybank was a U.S. Senator, the 99th Governor of South Carolina, and Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina. Maybank was the direct descendant of six former South Carolinian governors. He was the first governor from Charleston since the Civil War...
in 1954, the executive committee of the state Democratic Party chose him as their nominee for the general election. The absence of a primary election caused an uproar in the state and Strom Thurmond
Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...
defeated Brown as a write-in candidate. Brown retired from the state Senate on July 28, 1972.
During Brown's legislative service, he was known for conservative fiscal policies, financing the state road system with gasoline tax revenue bonds, and improving education in the state as well as implementing the South Carolina Educational Television
South Carolina Educational Television
South Carolina Educational Television is the statewide public television and public radio network in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It consists of all the Public Broadcasting Service member [television stations and National Public Radio member radio stations in the state...
.
Personal life
His parents, Augustus Brown and Elizabeth Howard were married on March 29, 1875, and settled on a part of the Brown family farm, which Needham [Gus's father] had given to them. Brown had four siblings; Minnie, John (who died at sixteen), Lula, and Grover. Brown married Annie Love Sitgreaves, daughter of Edwin McBurney and Centellia Martin Sitgreaves, on December 30, 1913 and together they had one child, Emily McBurney Brown. Brown was also survived by a grandson, Richard Allan Jefferies, and a granddaughter, Emily McBurney Jefferies. His son-in-law Richard Manning Jefferies, Jr. (son of GovernorGovernor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
Richard Manning Jefferies
Richard Manning Jefferies
Richard Manning Jefferies , a longtime state legislator and the 101st Governor of South Carolina from 1942 to 1943, was born in Union County, South Caroina, on February 27, 1889. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1910 and moved to the town of Ridgeland. There, he read law and...
) served as chairman of SCETV.
He died after suffering injuries in an automobile accident.