Representative Jason Brevoort Brown

Jason Brevoort Brown (February 26, 1839 – March 10, 1898) was a 19th-century American lawyer and Democratic politician who served three terms as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1889 to 1895. Over the course of his career, he held a series of important state and territorial offices before representing his constituents in the United States Congress during a significant period in American political history.

Brown was born on February 26, 1839, in Dillsboro, Dearborn County, Indiana. He was educated in the common schools of the area and attended Wilmington Academy in Dearborn County. His early education in local institutions reflected the opportunities available in mid-19th-century Indiana and prepared him for a professional career in the law and public service.

After completing his preparatory studies, Brown read law and was admitted to the bar in 1860. He subsequently commenced the practice of law in Brownstown, Indiana. Entering the legal profession on the eve of the Civil War, he quickly combined his legal work with political activity, establishing himself as a figure in Indiana’s Democratic Party and gaining experience that would underpin his later legislative service.

Brown’s public career began in the Indiana General Assembly. He served as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1862 to 1866, participating in state governance during the Civil War and the early years of Reconstruction. In 1870 he advanced to the Indiana State Senate, where he continued to take part in shaping state legislation. His growing reputation led to his appointment as Secretary of the Territory of Wyoming, a federal territorial office he held from 1873 to 1875, during which he was involved in the administration of the territorial government in the American West.

In 1875 Brown returned to Indiana and moved to Seymour, in Jackson County, where he resumed his legal practice and remained active in politics. He again served in the Indiana State Senate from 1880 to 1883, representing his new community and further consolidating his standing as a Democratic leader in the state. His combined experience in state and territorial offices positioned him for election to national office.

Brown was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses, serving as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from March 4, 1889, to March 3, 1895. During his three terms in the House of Representatives, he contributed to the legislative process and participated in the democratic governance of the nation, representing the interests of his Indiana constituents at a time marked by debates over tariffs, currency, and economic policy. In the Fifty-third Congress he served as chairman of the Committee on Elections, a key committee responsible for matters relating to contested congressional seats and electoral procedures. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1894, bringing his congressional service to a close at the end of his third term.

After leaving Congress, Brown returned to Seymour, Indiana, where he resumed the practice of law. He continued to be a respected figure in his community until his death in Seymour on March 10, 1898. Jason Brevoort Brown was interred in Riverview Cemetery, leaving a record of service that spanned local, state, territorial, and national government during a transformative era in American history.