Presley Elmer Brown was born in Wilkes County on March 2, 1879. He served as sheriff of Wilkes County from 1906 to 1914. In 1916, he ran as the Republican candidate for North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District. He served in the North Carolina legislature from 1925 to 1929, serving as house minority leader during his second term. Brown also owned a lumber business in North Wilkesboro. He died in Statesville on October 29, 1958.