John Robert Brown
Senior Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
In office July 20, 1984 – January 23, 1993
Chief Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
In office 1967–1979
Preceded by	Elbert Tuttle
Succeeded by	James P. Coleman
Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
In office July 27, 1955 – July 20, 1984
Appointed by	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	Robert Lee Russell
Succeeded by	Robert Madden Hill
Personal details
Born	John Robert Brown (1909-12-10)December 10, 1909 Funk, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	January 23, 1993(1993-01-23) (aged 83) Houston,Texas, U.S.
Party	Republican
Education	University of Nebraska (AB) University of Michigan (JD)

John Robert Brown (December 10, 1909 – January 23, 1993) was aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 1950s and 1960s, one of the "Fifth Circuit Four" pivotal in thecivil rights movement.

Born on December 10, 1909, inFunk, Nebraska, Brown received anArtium Baccalaureus degree in 1930 from theUniversity of Nebraska and aJuris Doctor in 1932 from theUniversity of Michigan Law School. Brown entered private practice inHouston andGalveston, Texas from 1932 to 1955, except for 1942 to 1946, when he served as aMajor in theUnited States Army duringWorld War II.^[1] He was employed at the law firm of Royston Rayzor and specialized inadmiralty law.^{[citation needed]}

Brown was nominated by PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower on April 25, 1955, to a seat on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated by JudgeRobert Lee Russell. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on July 22, 1955, and received his commission on July 27, 1955. He served as Chief Judge and as a member of theJudicial Conference of the United States from 1967 to 1979. He assumedsenior status on July 20, 1984. He was the last federal appeals court judge in active service to have been appointed to his position by President Eisenhower.^[a] His service terminated on January 23, 1993, due to his death in Houston.^[1]

Brown became known as one of the "Fifth Circuit Four"—Brown,Elbert Tuttle,Richard Rives, andJohn Minor Wisdom—so called because of a series of decisions crucial in advancing the civil rights ofAfrican-Americans. At that time, the Fifth Circuit included not onlyLouisiana,Mississippi, and Texas (its jurisdiction as of 1981), but alsoAlabama,Georgia,Florida, and thePanama Canal Zone.

During his service as Chief Judge, Brown was crucial to the administrative actions splitting the new Eleventh Circuit (Alabama, Georgia and Florida) from the Old Fifth Circuit which included those states up to September 1981, leaving the current Fifth Circuit with Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.^[2]

The Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition was established shortly before Brown's death and is now held annually, sponsored by theUniversity of Texas School of Law.^[3] The Judge Brown Admiralty Collection at the O'Quinn Law Library at theUniversity of Houston Law Center is named in Brown's honor.^[4]

• List of United States federal judges by longevity of service

• John Robert Brown at theBiographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of theFederal Judicial Center.
• John R. Brown (1910–1993): The Judge Who Charted the Course
• Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition
• History of the Court of Appeals, on the 11th Circuit Court website

• 1909 births
• 1993 deaths
• University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni
• University of Michigan Law School alumni
• Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• United States court of appeals judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower

• FJC Bio template with ID same as Wikidata
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from November 2018