Rudolph Stanley-Brown was a grandson of President James A. Garfield. He was born in Mentor, Ohio, later moving with his parents to New York City. He first studied at Yale University and later studied architecture at
Columbia University.

He moved to Cleveland in 1920 and began to work with his uncle, Abram Garfield. He was a partner in the firm of Garfield, Stanley-Brown, Harris & Robinson from 1930-1934. He moved to Washington, D.C in 1936.