Homer S. Brown Papers

About Homer S. Brown

Homer Sylvester Brown, born in Huntington, WV, on September 23, 1896, was educated at Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA, and received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1923. In his lifetime Judge Brown also received honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Lincoln University, Virginia Union University, University of Pittsburgh, and Virginia State College. Brown became a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association on October 26, 1923, and in 1934 he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. During Brown's tenure in the House (1935-1950) he authored the State Fair Employment Practices Act. In 1943 he was voted the most able member of the House by the Capital News Correspondents' Association. In 1943 Brown was the first African-American appointed to the Pittsburgh Board of Education, and in 1949 he became the first African-American to hold the position of Allegheny County Judge. In 1956 he was elected to the Court of Common Pleas and remained until 1975 when poor health forced his retirement. On the bench Brown was best known for his 1968 decision that the City of Pittsburgh's tax on hospitals, known as the "sick tax", was unconstitutional, a decision upheld by higher courts. Another historic decision came in 1973 when he ruled that prayers could be offered at graduation ceremonies. This decision was upheld by the United State Supreme Court. Brown also served many private organizations, most notably as first President of the Pittsburgh Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons; the Centre Avenue (Pittsburgh) YMCA, where he chaired the Board of Directors; and the Board of Trustees of Virginia Union University. He also served on the White House Commission on Education (1955) and the Governor's [PA] Committee on Education (1960). Judge Brown died at his home in Pittsburgh on May 22, 1977.