May 7, 1928 â Dec. 14, 2020 Philo J. Brooks, who served 14 terms in the Niagara County Board of Supervisors and its successor, the County Legislature, was a quiet political legend. "When Philo Brooks spoke on the floor of the Legislature, everybody listened to him, because they had great respect for him," William L. Ross, a longtime Legislature colleague, said Tuesday. Mr. Brooks, of Porter, died Monday in Our Lady of Peace Nursing Home, Lewiston, where he had been a resident for about a year. He was 92. "He was a true gentleman, smart as a whip," recalled Dennis F. Virtuoso, the only current legislator who served with Mr. Brooks. "He knew the county inside out. He was an eloquent speaker, too."