Eulogium on the life and character of the late Hon. Joseph Reed Ingersoll
(This reproduction was printed from a digital file created...)
This reproduction was printed from a digital file created at the Library of Congress as part of an extensive scanning effort started with a generous donation from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The Library is pleased to offer much of its public domain holdings free of charge online and at a modest price in this printed format. Seeing these older volumes from our collections rediscovered by new generations of readers renews our own passion for books and scholarship.
The Forum, Or, Forty Years Full Practice at the Philadelphia Bar
(Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We h...)
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
The Philadelphia bar. A complete catalogue of members from 1776 to 1868
(This reproduction was printed from a digital file created...)
This reproduction was printed from a digital file created at the Library of Congress as part of an extensive scanning effort started with a generous donation from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The Library is pleased to offer much of its public domain holdings free of charge online and at a modest price in this printed format. Seeing these older volumes from our collections rediscovered by new generations of readers renews our own passion for books and scholarship.
Forensic Speeches; Selected from Important Trials ..
(
This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Forum; Or, Forty Years Full Practice at the Philadelphia Bar Volume 2
(Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We h...)
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
David Paul Brown was an American lawyer, orator, and dramatist.
Background
David Paul Brown was born on September 28, 1795 and was the only child of well-born, well-educated, and wealthy parents. His father, Paul Brown, was descended from Quaker ancestors who came from England with Lord Berkeley and settled in New Jersey.
In 1790 Paul Brown removed from Berkeley, New Jersey, to Philadelphia, where he married Rhoda Thackara of Salem, New Jersey, and where in 1795 their son David Paul was born.
Later, when his father died in 1815, he leaft David a comfortable fortune.
Education
David was taught by his mother till he was eight and he owed to her his unusual discrimination in speech. Later he was trained by tutors and attended the best local schools. His parents brought him up in an atmosphere of wealth, and encouraged him to spend money freely and intelligently. After the death of his mother in 1810 he was sent to the home of the Rev. Dr. Daggett, a Massachusetts clergyman, who directed the youth's education until 1812.
Although David favored the profession of law, he then took up medicine to please his father and became a pupil of the famous Philadelphian, Dr. Benjamin Rush. Six months later (1813) Dr. Rush died; David was then permitted to transfer his studies to law, with an equally famous lawyer, William Rawle, as his preceptor.
Career
In September 1816, just as he attained his majority, Brown was admitted to the Philadelphia bar and soon afterward to the bar of the supreme court of Pennsylvania, the district and circuit courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Meanwhile he continued to be honored with invitations to deliver his florid eulogiums whenever a notable occasion suggested a speaker of unusual oratorical repute. In spite of his growing practise and the numerous demands on his time, he found opportunity to write reviews of current books and likewise to try his hand at poems and plays.
His casual poetry, which appeared in the Philadelphia Sunday Despatch and elsewhere, is largely negligible. His efforts as a dramatist, however, are more significant. Within two weeks, and principally while riding on horseback to a fashionable suburban spa, he composed a tragedy in verse entitled Sertorius; or, The Roman Patriot, which was produced December 14, 1830, at the Chestnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, with Junius Brutus Booth in the title role.
Sertorius is a somewhat vapid imitation of Shakespeare's Julius Cæsar and Addison's Cato, but its sonorous lines were so well delivered by the famous actor that it was presented nine times. It was revived at the Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia, on February 6, 1832, and figured thereafter in the repertoire of the elder Booth.
A romantic comedy, The Prophet of St. Paul's, also written in 1830, received a wretched belated performance at the Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, on March 20, 1837, and succumbed after the third performance. It dealt with the popular lovestory of Princess Mary and Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Less significant plays were The Trial, a tragedy, and a farce called Love and Honor, or, The Generous Soldier.
He thought sufficiently well of himself to publish his reminiscences in two large volumes (1856) under the title The Forum; or, Forty Years Full Practice at the Philadelphia Bar.
Achievements
David Brown's skill in cross-examination resulted in his being retained in almost every important criminal case in the Philadelphia courts. Though his practise was lucrative, it did not result in the accumulation of a fortune. His reputation as a public speaker quickly vied with his professional fame. In 1824 he won distinction for his brilliant and successful defense of Judge Robert Porter, who had been impeached before the Senate of Pennsylvania.
Brown also was an author of numerous popular plays. For example, his romantic comedy, The Prophet of St. Paul's, written in 1830, received a wretched belated performance at the Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, on March 20, 1837.
(
This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
Views
In court Brown was preeminently histrionic and perhaps too fond of the orotund phraseology that characterized the old-school lawyer. He was not concerned over the failure of his dramatic efforts, as they represented mere diversions in the life of a busy lawyer.
He lived on a most lavish scale in accord with his father's theory that a prosperous man should spend his income freely to avoid the evils of indolence. Brown regularly declined to consider public office and rarely practised in any courts outside of Pennsylvania.
Personality
Brown was a man of medium height, compactly built, with a high broad forehead, flashing dark eyes, a large mouth, and a voice of great compass. Friends testified to his amiable disposition, his urbanity of manner, and his other social graces.
Connections
On December 24, 1826, David Brown married Emmeline Catharine Handy. In 1873 his son, Robert Eden Brown, edited The Forensic Speeches of David Paul Brown, Selected from Important Trials and Embracing a Period of Forty Years.
