Representative Vincent Morrison Brennan

Vincent Morrison Brennan (April 22, 1890 – February 4, 1959) was a Republican politician and jurist from the U.S. state of Michigan who served one term in the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1923. He was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan, and moved with his parents to Detroit in 1895, where he was raised and educated in the city that would remain the center of his professional and political life.

Brennan received his early education at SS. Peter and Paul’s Parochial School in Detroit. He went on to graduate from Detroit College in 1909 and then pursued legal studies at the law department of Harvard University, from which he graduated in 1912. That same year he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Detroit. He subsequently undertook additional study at the University of Detroit, graduating in 1914, further consolidating his legal training and credentials.

Soon after his admission to the bar, Brennan entered public service in legal advisory roles. He served as legal adviser to the Michigan State Labor Department in 1912 and 1913, providing counsel on matters affecting labor and employment in the state. He then became assistant corporation counsel for the city of Detroit, a position he held from 1915 to 1920. In this capacity he was involved in the legal affairs of the rapidly growing industrial city and gained experience that would inform his later legislative and judicial work.

Brennan’s formal political career began in the Michigan Legislature. He was elected a member of the Michigan State Senate from the 2nd District, serving in 1919 and 1920. During his tenure in the state senate and his broader work with the city, he drafted Detroit’s automobile traffic ordinance, an important measure in an era when the automobile industry was transforming the city. The ordinance was widely regarded as a model and was used as a pattern by many other cities seeking to regulate burgeoning motor traffic.

Building on his state-level experience, Brennan was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives from Michigan’s 13th congressional district for the 67th Congress. He served from March 4, 1921, to March 3, 1923. As a member of the House of Representatives during a significant period in American history following World War I, Vincent Morrison Brennan participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in Detroit and the surrounding area. During his single term, he contributed to the legislative process and introduced a notable bill in 1922, the first proposal to allow radio coverage of proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives. Although the bill failed and the idea was not revived until the 1940s, it reflected an early recognition of the potential of electronic media to broaden public access to congressional deliberations. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1922.

After leaving Congress, Brennan returned to Michigan and continued his public service in the judiciary. He was elected judge of the circuit court of Wayne County for a term commencing in January 1924. He was subsequently reelected for six successive terms, serving on the bench for three decades until his resignation effective December 31, 1954. As a circuit court judge in Wayne County, which includes Detroit, he presided over a wide range of civil and criminal matters during a period of major social and economic change in the region.

Following his resignation from the bench, Brennan resumed the practice of law in Detroit, remaining active in his profession until his death. He was a Catholic and was associated with several professional and fraternal organizations, including the National Lawyers Guild, the Knights of Columbus, and the legal fraternity Delta Theta Phi. Vincent Morrison Brennan died in Detroit on February 4, 1959. He is interred in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan.