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A native son of Arkansas is Ozero C. Brewer, practicing attorney at Helena.
His birth occurred in Murfreesboro, Pike county on the 17th day of
February, 1888, a son of Henry Taylor and Emily (Carter) Brewer, likewise
natives of Murfreesboro. Both parents are residing there, the father being
a retired farmer. Henry Brewer, the paternal grandfather, was born in North
Carolina and came to this state in ... (1818). He engaged in farming here
and achieved substantial success. The maternal grandfather, Henry Carter,
was likewise a native of North Carolina and came to this state and he came
in the 30's. He was prominent in the public life of this state, having been
a member of the state legislature a number of times and he was a member of
the constitutional convention of 1874. He was an extensive land owner and
one of the wealthy men of his day. For many years Henry Taylor Brewer
followed agricultural pursuits, achieving more than substantial success. He
is a self-made man having acquired his wealth as the result of laudable
ambition, stanch determination and intelligently directed efforts. To the
union of Mr. and Mrs. Brewer eleven children were born, seven of whom are
living: Mattie E., the wife of Charles Kelley, a retired farmer and
merchant of Murfreesboro; William R., a well know physician and surgeon at
Ola, this state; Cortez, a farmer near Ben Lomond; Roscoe, a farmer
residing in Murfreesboro; Mack H., drainage engineer at Silver City,
Mississippi; Ozero C., whose name initiates this review; Nelle, the wife of
B. Morris, office manager for the Dierks Lumber Company. The family was
reared in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. Mr. Brewer is
a stanch supporter of the Democratic party and is still active in party
affairs.
In the acquirement of his early education, Ozero C. Brewer attended the
public schools of Murfreesboro and in due time entered Ouachita College.
Having completed his preparatory work he enrolled in the University of
Arkansas and received his A.B. degree from that institution in 1911. His
earliest ambition was to become a lawyer and in 1915 the LL.B. degree was
conferred upon him by Harvard. Later in the same year he was admitted to
practice in the federal and state courts and he located in Helena on the
8th of August, 1915, and began practice. He was successful from the start
and was enjoying an extensive and lucrative clientage when he put all
personal interest aside and in August, 1917, enlisted for service in the
United States army. He was sent to Camp Travis, where he was stationed one
year and he was then sent to France as first lieutenant in the One Hundred
and Sixty-fifth Field Artillery Brigade, Ninetieth Division. He was active
in that connection until the signing of the armistice. Mr. Brewer likewise
held the position of assistant staff judge advocate of Base Section, No. 2.
His headquarters were in Bordeaux, France and he had charge of all general
court marshal work for Base Section, No. 2. On July 1st he returned to the
United States and received his honorable discharge on the 12th of July,
1919 at Camp Dix. Subsequently he returned to Helena, resumed his practice
and is now enjoying an extensive and ever-increasing clientage. He is one
of the promising young attorneys of the county and state and well merits
the position he has already attained among the leading attorneys of Helena.
In addition to his private practice Mr. Brewer handles all litigation for
the First National Bank of Helena, Arkansas. He is a young man of laudable
ambition and his higher education was the result of his own efforts. He was
principal of the Texarkana schools for one year before enrolling in
Harvard.
The religious faith of Mr. Brewer is that of the Methodist Episcopal church
and he is a member of the official board and teaches the men's class in the
Sunday school. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons, being a
Scottish Rite Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine. He is secretary and
charter member of the Helena Rotary Club, vice president and war risk
officer of Richard L. Kitchens Post of the American Legion, and is serving
on the executive committee of the state department of the American Legion.
He is one of Helena's most public-spirited and progressive young citizens
and no movement for the development and improvement of the community seeks
his aid in vain.
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Centennial History of Arkansas, Dallas T. Herndon, 1933, page 386-387.
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Ozero C. Brewer, A.B., LL.B.
Ozero C. Brewer graduated from the Law School of Harvard University in 1915
and he has been practicing his profession in Helena, Phillips County,
Arkansas since that time. He is an able and forceful practitioner, skilled
in preparation of his cases and carrying himself with poise and
distinction. The exacting duties of his profession leave Mr. Brewer little
free time, but he is always anxious and ready to lend his assistance in the
furtherance of projects for the good of the community.
On February 17, 1888, Ozero C. Brewer was born in Murfreesboro, Pike
County, Arkansas. He was the seventh son in a family of eleven children.
His father, Henry T. Brewer was a prominent farmer of Pike County,
Arkansas. He died in 1924. Emily (Carter) Brewer, mother of Ozero C.
Brewer, was born in Pike County, Arkansas. She died in 1937.
Ozero Brewer early proved to be an unusually keen student. He attended the
public schools of Murfreesboro, Arkansas, took a preparatory course at
Ouachita College, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and in 1911 received his A.B.
degree at the University of Arkansas. Mr. Brewer then entered the elite
Harvard University Law School and received his LL.B. degree in 1915. In the
same year Mr. Brewer was admitted to the Arkansas Bar and he has since
successfully carried on a thriving practice in Helena, Arkansas. His
offices are in the Solomon Building. Mr. Brewer is a member of the Phillips
County Bar Association, the Arkansas Bar Association and the American Bar
Association. He is licensed to practice law before all courts in Arkansas
and also all Federal Courts including the Supreme Court of the United
States.
On November 18, 1925, Ozero C. Brewer married Alice Bridges of Inverness,
Mississippi. They are the parents of a daughter, Martha, born on April 2,
1930. She is now in her senior year at Helena High School. Mrs. Brewer is
active in local club work and is a member of the Helena School Board. She
is also interested in the promotion of good reading and is a members of the
Helena Public Library Board. The family worships at the Methodist Church,
where Mr. Brewer holds office as Steward.
During World War I, Ozero C. Brewer served in the United States Army. He
spent one year of service in the United States and one year in the field of
action in France. He is a charter members of the Helena Rotary Club, which
has sponsored many worthy plans for civic betterment. The Brewer lives in a
beautiful home on West Helena highway. The garden, in its long season of
beauty, shows taste and care. Mr. Brewer is recognized as a skilled expert
on the culture of roses. The house is of the livable type, and contains a
recreation room that evokes praise and envy for its casual comfort and the
completeness of its appointments. Mr. Brewer's favorite outdoor sport is
duck hunting. He never allows himself to become jaded by over-application
to professional work, but by judicious rest and recreation keeps up to his
high standard of mental fitness.
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Annals of Arkansas, Dallas T. Herndon, 1947, page 887-888.
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Update 03.21.01 David Kelley 1997 BIO-0111.HTM