Joseph Brown (December 3, 1733 – December 3, 1785) was an early American

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

, architect,

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

, and professor at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Biography

Brown was born in Providence,

Rhode Island Colony The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was an English colony on the eastern coast of America, founded in 1636 by Puritan minister Roger Williams after his exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It became a haven for religious ...

one of the four surviving sons (known in Providence annals as the “Four Brothers”) of James Brown II (1698–1739), a merchant, and Hope Power Brown. Like his father, Joseph Brown engaged in business, and in manufacturing, and acquired sufficient wealth to permit him to follow his natural taste for science. He was greatly interested in the science of

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

, and his knowledge of that subject was remarkable for the time. He left an electric machine of his own construction, an outstanding example of this sort of apparatus for that time. He devoted considerable study to mechanics and was proficient in astronomy. His attention having been directed to the arrangements in course of preparation for the proper observation of the

transit of Venus A transit of Venus takes place when Venus passes directly between the Sun and the Earth (or any other superior planet), becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a transit, Venus is visible as ...

in 1769, he sent to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

for suitable instruments, and subsequently an account of the observations made in Providence was published by

Benjamin West Benjamin West (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as ''The Death of Nelson (West painting), The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the ''Treaty of Paris ( ...

, later professor of natural philosophy at College of Rhode Island (now

). Brown was a warm friend of the College of Rhode Island, and was one of its trustees from 1769 until 1785. In 1770 he received the honorary degree of A.M. from the College, and from 1784 until his death held the chair of

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the develop ...

, giving his services to the institution without compensation. He was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1781. As an architect, Joseph designed and helped to design a number of residential, educational, religious, and commercial buildings. His desk and bookcase is currently in the Rhode Island Historical Society in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. The desk and bookcase is made in the Chippendale style. The primary, outer wood is mahogany, but cherry and pine are used for its interior. Joseph Brown was a member of the First Baptist Church in America. He died December 3, 1785, in Providence.

Family

His brothers, all merchants of

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, were: Nicholas Brown, Sr., John Brown (a co-founder of the College of Rhode Island), and Moses Brown (also a co-founder of the College of Rhode Island). He also had a sister, Mary.

Architectural works

* 1770, University Hall (with Robert Smith), Brown University * 1773, Market House (with Stephen Hopkins), Market Square * 1774, Joseph Brown House, 50 South Main Street * 1774, First Baptist Church in America, 75 North Main Street * 1786, John Brown House, Providence, 52 Power Street

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Joseph 1733 births 1785 deaths 18th-century American astronomers Baptists from Rhode Island Brown University faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Businesspeople from Providence, Rhode Island People from colonial Rhode Island Joseph Brown Industrialists