Brown's Business College was a chain of

business college A business college is a school that provides education above the high school level but could not be compared to that of a traditional university or college. Unlike universities and even junior and community colleges, business colleges typically t ...

s located in the

midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, started in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

in the 1870s by George W. Brown (1845-1918) of

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the ...

.Kemp, Bill (29 November 2008)
Brown's delivered white-collar education
''

The Pantagraph ''The Pantagraph'' is a daily newspaper that serves Bloomington–Normal, Illinois, along with 60 communities and eight counties in the Central Illinois area. Its headquarters are in Bloomington and it is owned by Lee Enterprises. The name is d ...

''Ottawa, Illinois in Nineteen Hundred
p. 75 (1900) He grew the chain to at least 29 locations during the 1910s (though perhaps not all existed simultaneously). Though most of the colleges had closed or changed names by the 1960s, at least one location continued under the same name into the early 1990s.

History

Brown joined the faculty of the Jacksonville Business College in 1867, a year after it was founded by Rufus C. Crampton of

Illinois College Illinois College is a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree ( ...

. Around 1876, Brown took over the school and renamed it. By 1889, he had acquired schools in Peoria and Decatur, and by 1894 also had locations in Ottawa, Galesburg, Bloomington, and Centralia, for a total of seven locations.(19 May 1911)
La Salle To Have College
''Ottawa Free Trader'' A description of the schools from 1898 states that they provided instruction in "Accounting, Business and Office Practice, Writing, Expert Accounting, What is Required of Stenographers, and the Elements of Success in Business."Thomas, Grace Powers (ed.
Where To Educate 1898-99
p. 72 (Brown and Company, 1898) By 1907, there were 19 Brown's in existence.(22 August 1907)
Brown's Business College Items
''Jackson Herald'' (Missouri) At least 29 schools were open at the chain's zenith.Mellon, Donald E
The Role of the Entrepreneur-Educator in Private Business Education in the United States from 1850-1915
p. 16, 230 (1986) Brown died in 1918, but the chain continued. Some locations continued under that name into the 1960s and 1970s, and the location in Springfield was open until 1994. Some of the colleges, through successors, still exist today, including Midstate College in Peoria and Rockford Career College in Rockford. The Sanford–Brown group of colleges or "institutes" also traces their history through a St. Louis location of Brown's.History and Mission
sanfordbrown.edu, Retrieved March 15, 2013

Locations

Locations of Brown's included the following non-exhaustive list: *

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the River Bend area in the Metro-East region of the ...

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...

: Bloomington Business College was in existence by 1870,Duis, E
The good old times in McLean County, Illinois
p. 75 (1874) was acquired by Brown by 1894, and operated into the early 1940s. *

Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County. The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses ...

Centralia, Illinois Centralia is a city in Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Illinois with the largest portion in Marion County. The city is the largest in three of the counties; Clinton, Marion, and Washington, but is not a co ...

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Ce ...

(c. 1889 - 1972): First known as Decatur Business College, renamed as Brown's after G.W. Brown purchased it, it closed in 1972.Lovelace, Claudia (15 June 1975)
Brown's Business College trained many successes
''

Herald & Review The ''Herald & Review'' is a daily newspaper based in Decatur, Illinois. It is owned by Lee Enterprises. The Herald & Review was named one of Editor & Publisher's "10 Newspapers That Do It Right" in 2019 for its use of government documents and p ...

'' *

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

: Was purchased by R.M. Utterback of Utterback Business College chain circa 1926, and combined with the Utterback location in that city, to become "Utterback-Brown Business College."American Penmen, vol. 44
p. 50 ("Mr.R.M. Utterback ... purchased Brown's Business College, at Danville, Ill., on November 9th ... This school will be combined with the Utterback Business College of Danville.") *

DeKalb, Illinois DeKalb ( ) is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 43,862 according to the 2010 census, up from 39,018 at the 2000 census. The city is named after decorated Franconian- French war hero Johann de Kalb, who died ...

East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois. It is directly across the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis, Missouri and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. Once a b ...

Freeport, Illinois Freeport is the county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is known for hosting the second Linc ...

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical ...

(1890s - 1967): Founded as the Western Business Institute, became Brown's in the 1890s, until 1967.Robiso
Galesburg, Illinois: In Vintage Postcards
p. 36 (Arcadia 2000) When community college

Carl Sandburg College Carl Sandburg College is a public community college with its main campus in Galesburg, Illinois. The college serves west-central Illinois region and has a branch campus in Carthage and an off-campus site in downtown Galesburg. The college was es ...

opened for classes in September 1967, it used the Brown's building for some of its classes.History
, Sandburg.edu, Retrieved 1 April 2013 The building, at 119 S. Cherry Street, is now an apartment building under the name "Brown's Business College Building" *

(1866, Brown's since c. 1876 - ?): Founded as Jacksonville Business College in 1866 by Rufus C. Crampton, it was acquired by Brown in 1876.Kay, Betty Carlson & Gary Jack Barwick
Jacksonville, Illinois: The Traditions Continue
p. 36 (Arcadia 1999) *

Kankakee, Illinois Kankakee is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 24,052. Kankakee is a principal city of the Kankakee-Bourbonnais-Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area. It serves as an ...

Marion, Illinois Marion is a city in Williamson and Johnson Counties, Illinois, United States, and is the county seat of Williamson County. The population was 16,855 at the 2020 census. It is part of a dispersed urban area that developed out of the early 20th ...

: Was not reopened after a fire destroyed its building in December 1963.(4 February 2013)
Brown’s Business College, Marion, Illinois
Marion Illinois History Preservation (mihp.org) *

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in 2020, it is the largest city in Rock Island County. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline, Illinois, East M ...

(1901 - ?): Opened in 1897 by J.E. Gustus as the "Gustus School of Business", it was acquired by Brown and renamed in 1901. Guster stayed on as director of the schools in Moline, Rock Island, and Davenport.Testimonies of Signs and Wonders
p. 166 (2006) *

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

(1888-1960): Acquired by Brown in 1888, known as Brown's until 1960, and is now Midstate College *

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...

: Opened 1901. *

Ottawa, Illinois Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the navigable Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The Illinois River is a conduit for river barges and connects Lake Michigan at Chicago, to the Mississippi Riv ...

(1894 - ?): Founded as Toland Business College in 1888, later was named Ottawa Business University, and was acquired by Brown and renamed in 1894.Ridings, Jim.
Ottawa
p. 21 (Arcadia 2011)(8 September 1894)
Brown's Business College
''Ottawa Free Trader'' (reporting that five other Brown's existed, and now Ottawa) *

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

(1902-1942): Rockford Business College was founded in 1862, was called Becker's Business College by 1877, and was acquired by Brown in 1892 although not renamed as Brown's Business College until 1902. In 1942, it became Rockford School of Business. As of 2008, ultimate successor is Rockford Career College.Rockford School of Business Rockford Career College - History
rockfordcareercollege.edu, Retrieved March 15, 2012(14 August 2012)
Rockford Career College anniversary party Sept. 29
''

Rockford Register Star The ''Rockford Register Star'' is the primary daily newspaper of the Rockford, Illinois, metropolitan area. The fifth-highest circulation newspaper in Illinois, the Register Star takes its name from the 1979 merger of two predecessors, the ''Re ...

''(12 September 2012)
Rockford Career College celebrates 150th anniversary
, ''Rock River Times'' *

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

(1913-1994): Founded under another name in the 1860s, was open through 1994.Volkmann, Carl and Roberta
Springfield's Sculptures, Monuments, And Plaques
p. 83 (Arcadia 2008)(7 June 1988). Business College to Break Ground for New Center, ''

The State Journal-Register ''The State Journal-Register'' is the only local daily newspaper for Springfield, Illinois, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1831 as the ''Sangamo Journal'' by William Bailhache and Edward Baker, and describes itself as "the oldest new ...

'' (reporting on groundbreaking for new building at 601 Bruns Lanein Springfield. Notes that president Larry Weber "bought the 124-year old career college with a group of local partners in April")(26 February 1994). Brown's Business College Plans to Close, ''

'' *

Sterling, Illinois Sterling is a city in Whiteside County, Illinois, Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,782 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, down from 15,370 in 2010. Formerly nicknamed "Hardware Capital of the World", the ...

Streator, Illinois Streator is a city in LaSalle and Livingston counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city is situated on the Vermilion River approximately southwest of Chicago in the prairie and farm land of north-central Illinois. As of the 2020 censu ...

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

: Merged with Wabash Business College in the 1930s to become the Wabash-Brown College of Commerce.Jerse, Dorothy W. and John R. Becker III
Terre Haute & Vigo County in Vintage Postcards
p. 104 (Arcadia 2001) *

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

: Opened 1901. *

Muscatine, Iowa Muscatine ( ) is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000. The county seat of Muscatine County, it is located along the Mississippi River. The lo ...

Patterson's American Educational Directory, Vol. 29
pp. 759-61, 862 (1922) *

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

Patterson's College and School Directory of the United States
p. 396-97 (1909) *

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. A location opened in a new building at the corner of Vandeventer Ave. and

Delmar Boulevard Delmar Boulevard is a major east-west street in St. Louis, Missouri. Route description Delmar Boulevard starts at North 14th Street in Downtown St. Louis, as a westward extension of Convention Plaza. It passes through the neighborhoods of Down ...

in 1905.(30 July 1905)
Brown's New Business College (advertisement)
''St. Louis Republic'', p. 12Brown's New Business College (St. Louis, Mo.). Advertising circular (1905)
Missouri History Museum Another location was at 8th and Pine St. *

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

: Founded in 1904, became the Nebraska School of Business sometime prior to 1915.(2 September 1915)
Lincoln A Great Center for Educational Activities
''

Omaha Bee The ''Omaha Daily Bee'' was a leading Republican newspaper that was active in the late 19th and early 20th century. The paper's editorial slant frequently pitted it against the ''Omaha Herald'', the '' Omaha Republican'' and other local papers. A ...

'', p.2

Other Brown's

Brown is a common surname, and there were other institutions called "Brown's Business College" that were not affiliated with George W. Brown's chain. *

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

: Does not appear to have any connection, was owned by an I.S. Brown. Renamed Gutchess College in 1910, acquired by Ernest M. Butler in 1917, and became a Butler Business School, which closed in December 2012.Lambeck, Linda Conner (31 December 2012)
Butler Business School closes, students stunned
''

Connecticut Post The ''Connecticut Post'' is a daily newspaper located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It serves Fairfield County and the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Municipalities in the Post's circulation area include Ansonia, Bridgeport, Darien, Derby, Easton, ...

''Hunter, Felicia (7 January 2013)
Biz Schools Shuttered
, conntact.com

References

{{authority control Defunct private universities and colleges in Illinois Business schools in Illinois 1876 establishments in Illinois