In 1922, Fort Worth attorney, later Judge
Jesse M. Brown (left) and fellow lawyer,
Sidney Samuels (right) formed the
partnership of Samuels and Brown,
forerunner of Brown, Dean, Wiseman,
Proctor, Hart & Howell, LLP. |
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Special Panel of Texas Supreme Court
In 1939, Sidney Samuels, center, sat as Special Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court for the case of Wortham v. Walker. Commissioner of General Land Office, et al., 128 S.W.2D 1138 (Tex. 1939.) |
When Judge Jesse Brown founded his law firm in 1922, he was already a strong force in Tarrant County government and politics. Sidney Samuels, a former city attorney for Fort Worth joined him. As such, the firm’s business in the early years was significantly influenced by the political climate in Tarrant County.
Present-day clients whose histories have been written, in part, by the firm include the Union Pacific Railroad and its predecessors for approximately 85 years; the Fort Worth Housing Authority from its inception almost 70 years ago; Bell Helicopter Textron and its predecessors at the inception of the business until 1997 and resuming again in 2007; and Autobahn Motorcar Group for 18 years.
Judge Brown was a pillar of justice in Tarrant County, serving as Deputy County Clerk, Assistant County Attorney, County Judge, County Attorney, the first Criminal District Attorney, County legal advisor and County condemnation attorney, all from 1911 to 1961. He was the guiding star in helping Tarrant County acquire its primary road system. Through Judge Brown, the firm handled the condemnation lawsuits necessary for the construction of what was then the Tarrant County Convention Center in the 1960s and all of the Tarrant County right-of-way litigation for the I-30 and SH 121. He worked at the firm until his death in 1978 at the age of 97.
Sydney L. Samuels, another of the firm’s fathers, served as Fort Worth City Attorney from 1907 to 1909, and sat on the bench of the Texas Supreme Court as Special Chief Justice in a case involving 28,000 acres of public grazing land in Texas’ panhandle. He was also the personal attorney for Amon Carter Sr. and Captain S. Burk Burnett. Other powerful lawyers followed, including Ardell Young, who served as Judge of the 153rd District Court, and Beale Dean who is Senior Counsel in the firm today.
The firm’s list of clients, past and present, are among the bedrocks of the local business community, and include the Tarrant County Commissioners Court for over 40 years into the 1960s; the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Amon Carter Foundation for almost 50 years into the 1970s; and the Tarrant Regional Water District and its predecessors for over 30 years into the 1980s.
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