HON. HENRY P. BROWN of Cleburne, whose reputation as a lawyer has been won through earnest, honest labor and whose high standing at the bar is a merited tribute to his ability, has since 1886 practiced in Cleburne and in 1902 formed his present partnership with W. H. Bledsoe under the firm style of Brown & Bledsoe. Mr. Brown is a native of Alabama, his birth having occurred in Marion on the 15th of March, 1857, his parents being W. R. and Mary (Parish) Brown. The father, now deceased, was a native of Virginia and throughout an active business career engaged in banking. His wife, who has also passed away, was born in North Carolina.
Mr. Brown of this review was reared and educated in his native city and after acquiring his preliminary education he continued his studies in Howard College. He began preparation for the profession under the direction of Mr. Pettus, now United States senator, at Marion, while his brother, Hon. Charles G. Brown, ex-attorney general of Alabama, also practiced at Marion, where he remained as an active member of the profession until 1886, when he removed to Cleburne and has since been identified with the legal fraternity here. Distinguished honors have come to him in connection with his chosen calling. He served as assistant attorney general of Texas under Hon. M. M. Crane, now a prominent member of the Dallas bar, filling the position for about a year, when he resigned to assume the private practice of law at Cleburne. Here he was first associated with D. T. Bledsoe, one of the original members of the Cleburne bar, and later was a partner of Judge W. F. Ramsey, under the firm style of Ramsey & Brown. His next partner was Colonel J. F. Henry, and in 19902 he entered into his present relationship with W. H. Bledsoe under the style of Brown & Bledsoe. This is a strong legal firm, having a large general law business that connects them with much of the important litigation tried in the state and federal courts of Texas.
On the 9th of November, 1881, at New Orleans, Mr. Brown was married to Miss Annie G. Lockett, a granddaughter of A. B. Moore, the war governor of Alabama, and they now have a daughter, Miss Bennie Brown.
Mr. Brown is prominent in the ranks of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, in which he has been accorded high official preferment. He is now past grand chancellor of the grand lodge of Texas and is the supreme representative. He also gained a wide acquaintance in political circles and his oratorical ability has made him a popular public speaker throughout Texas. He has done much campaign work in support of the Democracy and was one of the noted speakers in the celebrated campaign for governorship between Clark and Hogg. His attention, however, has been chiefly concentrated upon his law practice, which has now assumed extensive proportions. His careful preparation of cases is supplemented by a power of argument and forceful presentation of his points in the court room, so that he never fails to impress court or jury and seldom fails to gain the verdict desired. His scholarly attainments and genuine worth have gained him the friendship of many of the most prominent citizens of the state and he is accorded a position of leadership in fraternal, political and legal circles.
Source: B. B. Paddock, History and Biographic Record of North and West Texas, Vol. II (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1906), pp. 79-80.