Judge Samuel Earle Greene, of Birmingham, Ala., was born March 19, 1853, in Jefferson county, Alabama. He was a son of Robert N. Greene and Sarah Earle Greene who were born in Jefferson county, Alabama. Robert N. Greene was the son of George Le. Greene and his wife Jane Y. Greene, who moved to Jefferson county from South Carolina soon after Alabama became a State.
Judge Greene received his early education in the public schools of Elyton, Jefferson county, and received his collegiate education at Washington and Lee university at Lexington, Virginia. After he left college he became a teacher in the schools of Elyton and Birmingham for four years and studied law. He was admitted to the bar and began his practice of law at Jasper, Walker county, Alabama in 1880, where he remained for two years.
He returned to Birmingham in 1883 and continued the practice of his profession. In 1884-85 he represented Jefferson county in the State legislature. In February 1887, he was appointed by Gov. Thomas Seay, Judge of the criminal court of Jefferson county until his successor should be elected in August 1888.
When this election was held, he returned to the bench without opposition for a term of six years and was re-elected continuously. Judge Greene attained an enviable reputation among not only his colleagues but among the citizens at large. His decisions were able and tempered with great justice.
His popularity with the people of Jefferson county was attested by his nomination to the probate judgeship in 1904 in one of the hardest and most brilliant battles ever fought in the county. Judge Greene was a Democrat. He was a member of the Episcopal church; belonged to the Knights of Pythias and was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. On the 27th of February, 1889, he married Rosa Miller, (1866-1953) the daughter of Judge G. K. Miller and Celestine (McCann) Miller of Talladega county, Alabama. They have the following children:
Judge Greene had a striking appearance. He was tall and erect, and his features indicated strong will power. He was a gentleman of fine literary attainments and attractive conversational powers. Judge Greene died in 1915 and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama along with his wife and three children. His wife, Rosadied 1953.
SOURCES
Notable men of Alabama By Joel Campbell DuBose Vol. III
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SAMUEL EARLE GREENE
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