View XML QR Code

Margery Hunter Brown Papers, 1961-1996

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Brown, Margery Hunter, 1928-1998
Title
Margery Hunter Brown Papers
Dates
1961-1996 (inclusive)
Quantity
22.3 linear feet
Collection Number
Collection 2. University of Montana Law Library
Summary
The collection contains course materials and outlines for American Indian Law, the Indian Law Clinic, Natural Resource Law, and Public Land Law. It also contains publications, speeches and articles collected from various Indian and Public Land conferences. Notes and materials from Brown’s interviews and visits to Montana’s seven reservations can also be found in this collection.
Repository
University of Montana, William J. Jameson Law Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9999
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 4062432699
stacey.gordon@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the William J. Jameson Law Library and the University of Montana--Missoula.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding the finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Return to Top

Biographical Note

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 and 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.”

Return to Top

Content Description

The collection contains course materials and outlines for American Indian Law, the Indian Law Clinic, Natural Resource Law, and Public Land Law. It also contains publications, speeches and articles collected from various Indian and Public Land conferences. Notes and materials from Brown’s interviews and visits to Montana’s seven reservations can also be found in this collection and should be of particular interest to those seeking information on the makeup of tribal governments. No other archive collection in Montana contains the amount of research and background in the issues of Indian and Public Land Law.

Series I, American Indian Law, is divided into five topical subseries. The first subseries contains speeches, handouts and notes from the numerous seminars and conferences Brown attended regarding Indian Law issues. The second section includes class notes, outlines and exams from her time as a professor of Indian Law. The third subseries contains materials involving the Indian Law Clinic that Brown founded. The next section is a collection of items used in her work with thc seven American Indian nations located in Montana. The last subseries is an assortment of miscellaneous Indian issues Brown included in classes and other lectures.

Series II, Public Land Law, is divided into four topical subseries. The first subseries contains speeches, handouts and notes from the numerous seminars and conferences Brown attended regarding Public Land Law issues. The second section includes class notes, outlines and exams from her time as a professor of Public Land and Natural Resource Law. The next section is a compilation of publications Brown helped print or collected for her studies. The last subseries is an assortment of miscellaneous Public Land Law issues Brown included in classes and other lectures.

Series III, Personal, contains papers from Brown's academic years as a student including her Ph. D. studies in history and her law degree. Also included are law school publications she collected over her career - some of which contain articles regarding her work at the law school.

Series IV, Addendum 2014, contains documents that were separated from the majority of Brown’s papers and stored in the Missoula County Courthouse before transfer to the Law School. These papers range in date from 1977 to 1993 and are divided into three subseries: Subseries 1 contains papers and documents about Tribal Courts, Codes, and Constitutions; subseries 2 includes papers about Indian Law Clinic projects, proposals, budgets, and grants between 1980 and 1990; subseries 3 contains folders on recruitment and retention of minority law students, conferences, and several miscellaneous topics. There may be some overlap in coverage between this series and the first three series.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright status unknown.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Margery Hunter Brown Papers, Law Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

Materials have been divided into four series:

Series I: American Indian Law, 13.0 linear feet, 1976-1996

Subseries 1: Seminars

Subseries 2: Class Materials

Subseries 3: Indian Law Clinic

Subseries 4: Montana Indian Tribes

Subseries 5: Miscellaneous Indian Issues

Series II: Public Land Law, 6.5 linear feet, 1979-1992

Subseries 1: Seminars

Subseries 2: Class Materials

Subseries 3: Publications

Subseries 4: Miscellaneous Public Land Issues

Series III: Personal, 1.0 linear foot, 1961-1995

Series IV: 2014 Addendum, 1.8 linear feet, 1977-1993

Subseries 1: Tribal Courts, Codes, and Constitutions, 1.0 linear feet, 1982-1993

Subseries 2: Indian Law Clinic, 0.4 linear feet, 1980-1990

Subseries 3: Miscellaneous, 0.4 linear feet, 1977-1992

Custodial History

Custodial history is unknown

Acquisition Information

Series I-III, Gift of Margery Hunter Brown Estate, 1999. Series IV, gift of Brenda Desmond, former supervising attorney for the Indian Law Clinic.

Processing Note

Within each series and subseries in Series I-Series III, the folders are generally arranged chronologically. In some of the miscellaneous subseries, the arrangement is topical in order to keep subjects together. Folders with titles in quotes are the original folder titles as named by Brown. Within Series IV some folders were renamed and some documents moved to more appropriate folders. Folders are arranged alphabetically and then chronologically.

Separated Materials

Some items in the collection were removed in order to protect confidentiality including applications for dean of the law school and student papers. Other items removed include publications that are easily accessible through the university's libraries.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Jon Bennion (2004) and Phil Cousineau (2014)
2004

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West