Brown, Margery Hunter

Margery Hunter Brown was born March 8, 1928 in Libby, Montana. She Received her B.A. in History and Journalism in 1950 and a M.A. in History in 1953, both from Montana State University. From 1952-1953, Margery studied in Auckland, New Zealand as a Fulbright Scholar. On March 21, 1953, she married Firman Hewitt Brown, Jr. In 1956 and 1958, two daughters, Sarah and Blakely were born respectively. While pursuing a Ph. D. in History, Margery was employed in a number of fields. She worked as a reporter for the Great Falls Tribune, taught political science and history, and served as a Tribal Court Advisor for the confederated Salish and Kootenai and was involved in the revision of Montana’s constitution in the early 1970’s.

In 1975, Margery graduated from the University of Montana School of Law. Not long after she graduated, she joined the law school staff as an assistant dean in charge of admissions, financial aid and placement. She served as acting dean in 1979 when Robert Sullivan retired and again in 1985-86. During her tenure as a law professor, Margery became the leading authority on American Indian Law, Natural Resource Law, and Public Land Law. She founded the Indian Law Clinic, the first of its kind in the country. After her retirement from the law school in 1993, Brown briefly served as a judge on the Confederated Salish & Kootenai tribal court. She passed away in January of 1998.

Charles Wilkinson, a western scholar, said Margery Brown was “one of Montana’s, and the West’s, leaders in Indian, natural resource, and public land law. She is from the earth – straightforward, no-nonsense, clear-eyed and compassionate to her depths. She took those eternal qualities and blended them with the rigor of law teaching and scholarship to produce the best academia can offer: honest, electric classrooms; an open door for students in their times of need; distinguished public service; and sensible research that real people can put to real use.”

From the guide to the Margery Hunter Brown Papers, 1961-1996, (University of Montana School of Law William J. Jameson Law Library)