A LEGAL ICON: Walter Brown retires after lifetime of legal service to city, community – Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper

NATCHEZ — After 58 years of working towards legislation, Walter Brown, 83, is retiring on Dec. 31.

“It doesn’t appear that lengthy, but it surely’s time,” stated the Natchez lawyer.

He has served as authorized counsel to the Metropolis of Natchez throughout the administrations of 5 mayors. He attended his final assembly of the board of Natchez Water Works as its authorized counsel on Tuesday evening. Brown has represented numerous Adams County boards and was the long-time authorized counsel for the previous Natchez Regional Medical Middle.

Oh, the tales he might inform. However he received’t.

As a substitute, Brown spoke of the individuals and establishments with which he has delighted in working throughout his profession.

Natchez born and raised

Brown was born within the Natchez Sanatorium, “situated simply across the nook a couple of blocks away,” to Jake and Rose Brown. His father was an Adams County Supervisor for a few years. His mom was a schoolteacher.

“My mom taught me kindergarten in her top notch. Then she began Brown’s Kindergarten, and had it for about 10 years. She was a powerful believer in early childhood training,” he stated.

Brown went on to Cathedral College earlier than becoming a member of the U.S. Navy after commencement.

“Becoming a member of the army was the most effective factor I ever did,” he stated. “Again then, and even now, anyone who thinks life goes to be what it’s like in faculty…nicely, it’s not. I’m an advocate for some type of public service after highschool, if not the army, some type of public service.”

At 17, he joined the U.S. Naval Reserve, whose workplace was situated in Duncan Park. 

“I hung out in England and Norway and a whole lot of time within the Caribbean.”

After returning house, he spent a yr on the College of Southern Mississippi earlier than deciding to review legislation and transferring to Ole Miss, the place he accomplished his undergraduate diploma and went to Ole Miss Regulation College, graduating in 1965.

He got here house to Natchez and opened a solo legislation observe. In 1967, Brown ran for the state legislature.

“I served 12 years and realized I wanted to return house and make a dwelling,” Brown stated.

About half of Brown’s authorized profession was spent working towards by himself. Nonetheless, he has had a wide range of authorized companions by the years.

From 1973 to about 1982, Brown practiced with the late Joseph S. Zuccaro, William Riley, and the late Claude “Buck” Pintard within the agency Zuccaro, Riley, Pintard, and Brown. He additionally practiced with Philip Carby, and his son, Walt,  for a time after Walt graduated legislation college.

Walt, or Little Walt as some nonetheless know him, went on to observe with the District Legal professional’s workplace and is now in his second time period as Adams County Choose. He ran unopposed in November.

His father’s son

“So far as going to legislation college, going into the service gave me time to suppose and go searching. I went to Southern my freshman yr, and I undoubtedly determined I needed to go to legislation college and transferred to Ole Miss,” Brown stated. “When you’ve got a liberal arts background in training, and that’s what most legal professionals do, you get extra conscience about your establishments — church buildings, authorities, public service, public well being. The Democrat is an establishment. You grow to be conscious as a lawyer, you might be obligated to keep up these establishments.

“Being my father’s son and being fascinated by coverage in addition to politics, I went to Washington D.C. in 1962 when John Kennedy was president and labored as an intern for U.S. Rep. John Bell Williams, which was a distinction,” Brown stated.

Williams would later grow to be governor of Mississippi. He was often called an advocate for racial segregation.

“That internship was an actual revelation for me. Not just for legislation however for presidency usually. I used to be assembly individuals from across the nation and moving into nationwide and native coverage.

“One of many issues I did on the congressman’s urging was go to the Supreme Courtroom,” Brown stated. “I occurred to be within the Supreme Courtroom the day they had been listening to the case Engel v. Vitale, which was about prayer at school. It’s most likely one of many 10 or 20 most essential instances determined by the Supreme Courtroom.”

The Supreme Courtroom determined in that case that school-sponsored prayer in public faculties violated the institution clause of the First Modification.

“The Congressman was taking umbrage to that call. Having taken Structure Regulation as an undergraduate, even at that stage in life, it appeared to me to be the appropriate determination. That was a turning level that satisfied me I needed to review legislation,” he stated.

Most of Brown’s work has been governmental in nature.

“This comes out of your dad being a supervisor and going to Washington and being within the Legislature and assembly legal professionals and different individuals from across the state. You find yourself within the public coverage and administration facet of legislation observe.

“I believe at the least half my legislation observe has been serving as counsel for boards, reminiscent of serving as town lawyer for 25 years (and) the hospital for about the identical time,” he stated. “You might be on the within. When you are counsel for the board, board members look to their authorized counsel for not solely what the legislation is but additionally they wish to know what you consider this coverage or that coverage. With out getting completely concerned in it, you grow to be a listening level for aldermen, and also you grow to be a mediator between totally different viewpoints. That has been notably true of town.”

Brown served beneath 5 metropolis mayors — Tony Byrne, David Armstrong, Butch Brown, Hank Smith, and Philip West. 

“Every was completely totally different in each respect. All of them needed to do one thing for the group. All the aldermen and the entire mayors I’ve served with got here to the purpose of realization that they wanted to work as a group, they usually did work as a group. There have been exceptions, however not many,” he stated. “I assumed all of them did a superb job. Serving in public workplace today is kind of like being a newspaper editor. You get a whole lot of criticism. No person tells you in regards to the good belongings you do.”

‘Natchez is my pastime’

“Natchez is such a particular metropolis. Folks say, ‘You don’t have any hobbies,’ and I say, ‘I do. Natchez is my pastime.’ That’s sufficient pastime to care for all my time,” Brown stated.

Newcomers to Natchez rapidly grow to be part of the group right here.

“Take a look at Dan Gibson. He’s so enthusiastic. Here’s a man who was the mayor of Crystal Springs who involves Natchez and falls in love with it. Folks come to this city as a result of there’s something magical in regards to the identify Natchez. Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, Natchez. Natchez has attributes of these nice cities of the south. 

“I like to take company to Texada and inform them, ‘That is the place the territorial legislature met, and it was additionally a bar. Right here is the place we raised the primary flag,” Brown stated. “When new individuals come into the group, instantly they’re a part of the group. Not solely do they normally deliver some good monetary backing, however additionally they get proper into Natchez.”

Brown is the daddy of six youngsters: three together with his first spouse, Joan — Walt, Patrick, and Melissa; and three together with his spouse, Missy — Michael, Matthew, and Hester Rose.

“Sadly, one among my youngsters, Melissa, died in 2019. Melissa was born in 1969, so she would have been 54. That was and has been a tricky scenario. However she has youngsters, and he or she has grandchildren.”

Whereas he’ll not work for shoppers, Brown stated he would nonetheless come to his workplace as regular.

“I’m going to learn the entire books that I purchased through the years. And I’m going to get pleasure from my spouse and household.”

And he’ll proceed to get pleasure from his pastime — Natchez.