Morgan Welles Brown

Morgan Welles Brown (1800 – March 7, 1853) was a United States federal judge.

Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, Brown read law around 1830, establishing a private practice in Nashville, Tennessee by 1833. He was a newspaper editor for the Nashville Republican from 1832 to 1833.

On December 18, 1833, Brown was nominated by President Andrew Jackson to a joint seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, both vacated by John McNairy. Brown was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 31, 1833, and received his commission on January 3, 1834. On June 18, 1839, the state was further subdivided with the addition of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, created from portions of the original two districts. Brown was reassigned by operation of law to also serve on this district. While serving as a federal judge, Brown was also a commissioner to oversee erection of the state capitol in Nashville from 1843 to 1844. He continued to preside over all three districts of Tennessee until his death, in Nashville, in 1853.

He is referred to as possibly being an ancestor or distant relative of singer Lionel Richie in a 2011 episode of NBC's Who Do You Think You Are?, a television show that shows celebrities uncovering their ancestral roots.

Sources

• Morgan Welles Brown at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Persondata
Name	Brown, Morgan Welles
Alternative names
Short description	United States federal judge
Date of birth	1800
Place of birth	Clarksville, Tennessee
Date of death	March 7, 1853
Place of death	Nashville, Tennessee