Nicholas Brown Jr.

Nicholas Brown Jr. (April 4, 1769 – September 27, 1841) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Providence, Rhode Island, and the namesake of Brown University.

Nicholas Brown Jr.
Nicholas Brown Jr., painted by Chester Harding, 1836
BornApril 4, 1769
Providence, Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
DiedSeptember 27, 1841(1841-09-27) (aged 72)
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Resting placeNorth Burial Ground
Providence, Rhode Island
Alma materBrown University (1786)
Occupation(s)Legislator
Philanthropist
ChildrenNicholas Brown III
John Carter Brown II
Parent(s)Nicholas Brown
Rhoda Jenckes

Early life

Brown was the son of Rhoda Jenckes (1741–1783) and Nicholas Brown Sr. (1729–1791), a merchant and co-founder of Brown University (which was then called College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations). He was the nephew of John Brown (1736–1803) and Moses Brown (1738–1836) and a descendant of English colonist and Baptist minister Chad Brown (c. 1600–1650), who co-founded Providence. His maternal grandfather was Daniel Jenckes (1701–1774), a judge from a prominent family.[1]

Career
A portrait of Nicholas Brown Jr. posthumous painted by Thomas Sully in 1847

Both Nicholas Brown Jr. and his father were members of and large donors to the First Baptist Church in America. Brown Jr. graduated from the College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1786. After the death of his father, he created the company of Brown & Ives with his future brother-in-law Thomas Poynton Ives, and served in the state legislature as a Federalist.

After inheriting his father's estate in 1791, Brown became such a great benefactor to the school that it was renamed Brown University in 1804 when he donated $5,000 to the college. His total gifts to it were over $150,000. He also co-founded the Providence Athenaeum and was active in various Baptist and literary causes. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1813.[2]

Personal life

He was married to Ann Carter (1770–1798), daughter of John Carter (1745–1814), a prominent printer in Providence.[3][4] Their children were:[5]

  • Nicholas Brown III (1792–1859), who married his 2nd cousin, Abby Mason (1800-1822), daughter of James Brown Mason (1775–1819), in 1820. After her death, he married Caroline Matilda Cements (1809–1879) in 1831.[5]
  • Moses Brown (1793–1794), who died as an infant[5]
  • Anne Carter Brown (1794–1828), who married John Brown Francis (1791–1864), the grandson of her father's uncle, John Brown, in 1822.[6]
  • John Carter Brown II (1797–1874), who married Sophia Augusta Brown (1825–1909),[7][8] daughter of Patrick Brown and Harriot Theyer, and a descendant of minister Roger Williams (1603–1683).[5]
Brown's grave at North Burial Ground

After his death September 27, 1841, Brown was interred in North Burial Ground in Providence.[9] He left a $30,000 bequest to found a mental hospital, which eventually became Butler Hospital.[10][11]

See also

References
  1. "NRHP nomination for Joseph Smith House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
  2. American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
  3. "John Carter Brown, Inducted 2012". www.riheritagehalloffame.org. Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  4. "John Carter, Inducted 2000". www.riheritagehalloffame.org. Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  5. Isham, Norman M. (January 1918). Collections of the Rhode Island Historical Society Vol. XI (No. 1. ed.). Rhode Island Historical Society. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  6. "FRANCIS, John Brown - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  7. Times, Special To The New York (1 March 1909). "Mrs. John Carter Brown". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  8. "$30,000,000 TO MRS. SHERMAN; Reported Bulk of Mrs. John Carter Brown's Estate Goes to Daughter". The New York Times. March 4, 1909. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  9. Rogak, Lisa (2004). Stones and Bones of New England: A Guide to Unusual, Historic, and Otherwise Notable Cemeteries. Globe Pequot. p. 159. ISBN 9780762730001.
  10. "Brown University Authentication for Web-Based Services".
  11. The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations: Biographical, Volume 6, by the American Historical Society, Inc., 1920. Pages 188 - 191 http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rigenweb/article3.html
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