William Jethro Brown
Encyclopedia
William Jethro Brown was an Australia
n jurist
and professor of law.
. Brown was educated at Stanley Grammar School
, Watervale, South Australia
, and taught for a while at Moonta Mines State School. He then studied at St John's College, Cambridge
, graduating in 1890 with a double first class in the law tripos
. He was called to the bar of the Middle Temple
in 1891 and elected Macmahon student at St John's College in 1892.
and held this position until 1900 (apart from 1898 when he acted as professor of law in the University of Sydney
). In 1898 he published as a pamphlet Why Federate, which had been read before the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science. It was a crucial year for the cause of Federation
, and Brown did good service in pointing out that the difficulties were mostly of a mechanical character. In 1899 appeared his thoughtful study The New Democracy, and in 1900 he left Australia to become professor of constitutional law
and history at University College London
. In the following year he was appointed professor of comparative law at the University College of Wales. He was examiner for the Cambridge law tripos 1902–1905, and for the University of London
from 1905–1906. In 1906 he became professor of law at the University of Adelaide
, holding the position for 10 years. His The Austinian Theory of Law, an edition with critical notes and excursus of lectures I, V and VI of Austin's Jurisprudence and of his Essay on the Uses of the Study of Jurisprudence, was published in 1906 and was reprinted several times. In 1912 he published The Underlying Principles of Modern Legislation, which was welcomed as a real contribution to political thought; a fifth edition appeared in April 1917. In this volume Brown points out that the likelihood of greatly increased state activity in the future throws a great responsibility on the teacher and the brains and character of the community; and that problems will arise that will demand enlightened statesmanship no less than reforming zeal. Brown did not attempt to set out his own view's on the settlements of particular problems. The book was planned as a university textbook, and he held that the writer in a book of that kind "ought to be careful in expressing personal opinions about problems of which the precise solution is very debatable". Next appeared the volume The Prevention and Control of Monopolies, where he is more constructive, but always endeavours to hold the scales evenly. He was appointed president of the industrial court of South Australia in 1916 and showed great industry, courtesy and ability in carrying out his duties. His experiences as chairman of the sugar commission in 1912–14 and on other occasions as chairman of the price regulations commission, the foodstuffs commission, and the gas commission, enabled. him to gain much knowledge of the conditions in industry.
, and received the degree of Litt. D. from the University of Dublin
for his The New Democracy. Brown married Aimée Loth in 1900 who survived him with a son, the marriage was a dismal one. Brown also contributed a long essay "The Judicial Regulation of Industrial Conditions" to Australia, Economic and Political Studies, edited by Meredith Atkinson. He also wrote largely for the reviews, including the Law Quarterly Review
, the Hibbert Journal, the International Journal of Ethics, the Westminster Review
, the Independent Review
, the Juridical Review, the Columbia Law Review
and the Yale Law Journal
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and professor of law.
Early life
Brown was the son of James Brown, a farmer, and his wife Sophia Jane, née Torr, and was born at Mintaro, South AustraliaMintaro, South Australia
' is an historic town in the eastern Clare Valley, about 128 km north of Adelaide, South Australia. The town lies at the south-eastern corner of the Hundred of Clare.-History:...
. Brown was educated at Stanley Grammar School
Stanley Grammar School
Stanley Grammar School was a school for boys and girls, located in the South Australian Clare Valley town of Watervale. It was opened in 1863 by teacher, educator and former temporary headmaster Joseph Cole...
, Watervale, South Australia
Watervale, South Australia
Watervale is a town located in the Clare Valley, South Australia, approximately 9 kilometres north of Auburn and 15 kilometres south of Clare. It is surrounded by a number of small wineries and several B&Bs. The Riesling Trail runs past the town to the west, between the Main North Road and the...
, and taught for a while at Moonta Mines State School. He then studied at St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, graduating in 1890 with a double first class in the law tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
. He was called to the bar of the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1891 and elected Macmahon student at St John's College in 1892.
Law career
In 1893 Brown was appointed professor of law and modern history at the University of TasmaniaUniversity of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia...
and held this position until 1900 (apart from 1898 when he acted as professor of law in the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
). In 1898 he published as a pamphlet Why Federate, which had been read before the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science. It was a crucial year for the cause of Federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
, and Brown did good service in pointing out that the difficulties were mostly of a mechanical character. In 1899 appeared his thoughtful study The New Democracy, and in 1900 he left Australia to become professor of constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
and history at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. In the following year he was appointed professor of comparative law at the University College of Wales. He was examiner for the Cambridge law tripos 1902–1905, and for the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
from 1905–1906. In 1906 he became professor of law at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, holding the position for 10 years. His The Austinian Theory of Law, an edition with critical notes and excursus of lectures I, V and VI of Austin's Jurisprudence and of his Essay on the Uses of the Study of Jurisprudence, was published in 1906 and was reprinted several times. In 1912 he published The Underlying Principles of Modern Legislation, which was welcomed as a real contribution to political thought; a fifth edition appeared in April 1917. In this volume Brown points out that the likelihood of greatly increased state activity in the future throws a great responsibility on the teacher and the brains and character of the community; and that problems will arise that will demand enlightened statesmanship no less than reforming zeal. Brown did not attempt to set out his own view's on the settlements of particular problems. The book was planned as a university textbook, and he held that the writer in a book of that kind "ought to be careful in expressing personal opinions about problems of which the precise solution is very debatable". Next appeared the volume The Prevention and Control of Monopolies, where he is more constructive, but always endeavours to hold the scales evenly. He was appointed president of the industrial court of South Australia in 1916 and showed great industry, courtesy and ability in carrying out his duties. His experiences as chairman of the sugar commission in 1912–14 and on other occasions as chairman of the price regulations commission, the foodstuffs commission, and the gas commission, enabled. him to gain much knowledge of the conditions in industry.
Late life and legacy
Brown's health began to fail and in July 1927 he resigned his position. He died at Adelaide of pneumonia on 27 May 1930. Brown held the LLD. degree of the University of CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and received the degree of Litt. D. from the University of Dublin
University of Dublin
The University of Dublin , corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin , located in Dublin, Ireland, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it...
for his The New Democracy. Brown married Aimée Loth in 1900 who survived him with a son, the marriage was a dismal one. Brown also contributed a long essay "The Judicial Regulation of Industrial Conditions" to Australia, Economic and Political Studies, edited by Meredith Atkinson. He also wrote largely for the reviews, including the Law Quarterly Review
Law Quarterly Review
The Law Quarterly Review is an academic legal periodical published by Sweet & Maxwell. It was first published in 1885...
, the Hibbert Journal, the International Journal of Ethics, the Westminster Review
Westminster Review
The Westminster Review was a quarterly British publication. Established in 1823 as the official organ of the Philosophical Radicals, it was published from 1824 to 1914. James Mill was one of the driving forces behind the liberal journal until 1828....
, the Independent Review
Independent Review
Several magazines, journals, and newspapers have used this title, some of which are:*Independent Review , a now defunct progressive English journal founded, in part, by the historian G.M. Trevelyan in London. Edward Jenks was editor, and members of its editorial board included Trevelyan, G. Lowes...
, the Juridical Review, the Columbia Law Review
Columbia Law Review
The Columbia Law Review is a law review edited and published by students at Columbia Law School. In addition to articles, the journal regularly publishes scholarly essays and student notes. It was founded in 1901 by Joseph E. Corrigan and John M. Woolsey, who served as the review's first...
and the Yale Law Journal
Yale Law Journal
The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...
.