Joseph Emerson Brown (1821-1894) was born to Mackey Brown (1797-1874) and Sally Rice (1797-1874) in South Carolina. In 1844, he opened an academy in Canton, Georgia and began reading law. He attended law school at Yale for one year, where he earned his degree in 1846. Afterwards, he returned to Canton to practice law. He served as Georgia State Senator for the 41st District from 1849 to 1850; Georgia Presidential Elector in 1852; Georgia Superior Court Judge for the Blue Ridge Circuit from 1855 to 1857; Trustee of the University of Georgia from 1857-1889; Georgia's governor from 1857 to 1865; Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court from 1868 to 1870; a board member on the Atlanta Board of Education from 1869 to 1889; president of the Western and Atlantic Railroad from 1870 to 1890; and U.S. Senator from 1880 to 1891. He is buried in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery.