Darius A. Brown

Brown moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1891,^[2] with $2.50 to his name.^[1] In 1898, he was elected district attorney. He later served as circuit court judge.^[1][2] In 1905, he was apointed court stenographer,^[1] which was the last office he held before becoming mayor.^[4] In 1908, he was elected alderman from the Fifth Ward, as which he challenged a local streetcar company. This made him popularity among the people of Kansas City, so he entered the Republican primaries for mayor of Kansas City. He won the primaries with the largest number of votes in the city's history, at the time.^[3] He won the mayoral election, serving as mayor from 1910 to 1912.^[2] In 1911, he was a president of the National League of Cities convention, held in Atlanta.^[5]

On November 6, 1928, Brown returned to serving on the Circuit Court (as its only Republican seat), which he held until his death.^[6]

Politically, Brown was progressive.^[1] In December 1910, he vetoed an ordinance which required women to cover the sharp tip of their hatpins; he was overruled by the alderman's board.^[7] He also urged working women to fight for better wages while speaking at a Loyal Order of Moose event, on July 19, 1916.^[8]

On February 9, 1899, Brown married Nellie Prescott Brown (died 1937);^[1] they two children together.^[6] He was a member of Loyal Order of Moose, which he served as "supreme dictator" of in 1920. He was also a member of the Shriners, and held every one of its offices at his local shrine.^[1]

On November 2, 1938, he underwent prostate surgery at the Research Medical Center, and on November 3, he died from pneumothorax; his doctors described his circumstances of death as unusual. He died on his 69th birthday. His term as judge was to expire on July 1, 1941.^[1]