Henry Armitt Brown (December 1, 1844 – August 21, 1878) was an American author and orator.

Life

Brown was born in Philadelphia, December 1, 1844, the second son of Frederick and Charlotte A. (Hoppin) Brown. Brown is a lineal descendant of William Clayton, the acting Governor of the

Pennsylvania Colony The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to Wi ...

. He graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1865. He spent a year after graduating at the

Columbia College Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestig ...

, New York City. After travels abroad, he resumed the study of the law in the office of Daniel Dougherty, Esq., of Philadelphia, and was admitted to the bar of that city in December, 1869. He was attracted to literature, and in spite of success in his profession, he made little effort to increase his practice. He wrote extensively for current periodicals, and began to be widely known as a public speaker. An oration delivered in Philadelphia on the 100th anniversary of the assembling of the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

of 1774 was followed by a succession of public addresses, especially in connection with the centennial celebrations of revolutionary events. It was after a long day at

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...

, on June 19, 1878, where he had delivered an oration, that he returned to Philadelphia to complete his preparation for a similar engagement at

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

. His illness gradually developed into

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

. About the first of August he rallied, and seemed likely to recover; but successive relapses ensued, and he died on the 21st of that month at the age of 34. He was married, Dec. 7, 1871, to Miss Josephine L., daughter of Mr. John Baker, of Philadelphia, who survived him with his only child, a daughter

Anna Robeson Brown Anna Robeson Brown Burr (May 26, 1873 – September 10, 1941) was an American writer of novels, poetry, stories, essays, and biographies. Her ''The Autobiography: A Critical and Comparative Study'' (1909), was the first book on the subject. Early ...

. Another daughter, Henrietta Armitt Brown, was born posthumously, a week after Brown's death. He was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1877. A public elementary school in Philadelphia is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Henry Armitt 1844 births 1878 deaths Writers from Philadelphia Yale College alumni Columbia Law School alumni Pennsylvania lawyers American male writers Deaths from typhoid fever 19th-century American lawyers