H. Ogden Brainard was born in Vincennes, Indiana on March 6, 1905. He attended public schools in Charleston, Illinois and graduated from the Eastern Illinois State Normal School in 1925. He received his J.D. degree from the University of Illinois Law School in 1933 and was admitted to the State of Illinois Bar the same year. He was also admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Courts. After returning to Charleston in 1935 to set up a general practice, he served as Federal Conciliation Commissioner from 1939 to 1941, City Attorney from 1941 to 1944, and attorney for the Community Unit School District #1 for Coles and Cumberland Counties. He organized the Eastern Illinois University Foundation in 1953, and was a member of the Board of Directors. An active member of his community who received numerous professional and non-professional honors during his lifetime, Mr. Brainard died on February 29, 1992.