Nicholas Brown Jr. (April 4, 1769 – September 27, 1841) was an American businessman and philanthropist from

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, who was the namesake of Brown University.

Early life

Nicholas Brown Jr. was the son of Rhoda Jenckes (1741–1783) and

Nicholas Brown Sr. Nicholas Brown Sr. (July 26, 1729 – May 29, 1791) was a Providence, Rhode Island slave-trader, merchant, civic leader and co-signer of the charter of the College of Rhode Island in 1763. In 1771, Nicholas Brown Sr. was instrumental in convinci ...

(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 the 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.

Career

Both Nicholas Brown Jr. and his father were members of and large donors to the

First Baptist Church in America The First Baptist Church in America is the First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island, also known as the First Baptist Meetinghouse. It is the oldest Baptist church congregation in the United States, founded in 1638 by Roger Williams in Pr ...

. Nicholas Brown Jr. graduated from the College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1786. After the death of his father, Brown created the company of Brown & Ives with his future brother-in-law,

Thomas Poynton Ives Thomas Poynton Ives (April 9, 1769 – April 30, 1835) was an American merchant and banker from Rhode Island. Early life Ives was born on April 9, 1769 in Beverly in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in what was then British America, and was baptized ...

, 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 for him in 1804 when he donated $5,000 to the college. His total gifts to the college totaled over $150,000. Brown 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 The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1813.

Personal life

He was married to Ann Carter (1770–1798), daughter of John Carter (1745–1814), a prominent printer in Providence. Together, they had: * 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. * Moses Brown (1793–1794), who died as an infant * Anne Carter Brown (1794–1828), who married John Brown Francis (1791–1864), the grandson of her father's uncle, John Brown, in 1822. *

John Carter Brown II John Carter Brown II (1797 – June 11, 1874) was a book collector whose library formed the basis of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. Early life John Carter Brown II was born in 1797, the youngest of three surviving children bo ...

(1797–1874), who married Sophia Augusta Brown (1825–1909), daughter of Patrick Brown and Harriot Theyer, and a descendant of minister Roger Williams (1603–1683). Grave of Nicholas Brown II

After his death September 27, 1841, Brown was interred in

North Burial Ground The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island dating to 1700, the first public cemetery in Providence. It is located north of downtown Providence, bounded by North Main Street, Branch Avenue, the Moshassuck River, and Ce ...

in Providence. When Brown died in 1841 he left a $30,000 bequest to form a mental hospital, which eventually became known as

Butler Hospital Butler Hospital is a private, non-profit, psychiatric and substance abuse hospital for adolescents, adults, and seniors, located at 345 Blackstone Boulevard in Providence, Rhode Island. The hospital is affiliated with the Warren Alpert Medical S ...

.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

References

External links

Encyclopedia Brunoniana - Brown Family

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Nicholas Jr. 1769 births 1841 deaths Brown University alumni Brown University people University and college founders Rhode Island Federalists Philanthropists from Rhode Island Businesspeople from Providence, Rhode Island Members of the American Antiquarian Society 19th-century American businesspeople Baptists from Rhode Island Nicholas Brown Jr. Burials at North Burying Ground (Providence) People of colonial Rhode Island

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links