John Brown I (January 27, 1736September 20, 1803) was an American merchant, statesman and slave trader 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 ...
. Together with his brothers
Nicholas,
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
and
Moses, John was instrumental in founding
Brown University (then known as the College of Rhode Island) and moving it to their family's former estate in Providence.
John Brown laid the cornerstone of the university's oldest building in 1770, and he served as its treasurer for 21 years, from 1775 to 1796.
Brown was one of the founders of
Providence Bank and became its first president in 1791.
He was active in the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
, notably as an instigator of the 1772
''Gaspee'' Affair, and he served in both state and national government. At the same time, he was a powerful defender of slavery, clashing aggressively in newspapers, courts and the political system with his brother
Moses, who had become an abolitionist.
John Brown's home in Providence is now a museum and
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
.
Brown's desk and bookcase reside at the
Yale University Art Gallery
The Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG) is the oldest university art museum in the Western Hemisphere. It houses a major encyclopedic collection of art in several interconnected buildings on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. ...
in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
. The desk is attributed to Daniel Spencer, who opened his cabinetmaking studio in
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 ...
in 1772.
Early life
![John_Brown_House_Providence_RI_2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/John_Brown_House_Providence_RI_2012.jpg)
John Brown was born in
Providence in the
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, on January 27, 1736, to James Brown II (1698–1739) and Hope Power (1702–1792). His paternal grandparents were Elder James Brown (1666–1716), a pastor at the First Baptist Church, and Mary (Harris) Brown. His father, James Brown II, established himself early in the mercantile business, trading in slaves, rum, molasses, and other goods. His parents, who were married in 1723, had six children, including: Mary Brown (1731–1795), who married Dr. David Vanderlight, James Brown III (1724–1750), the eldest son who was a sea captain and who died young,
Nicholas Brown (1729–1791), Joseph Brown (1733–1785), John Brown (1736–1803) and
Moses Brown
Moses Brown (September 23, 1738 – September 6, 1836) was an American abolitionist and industrialist from New England, who funded the design and construction of some of the first factory houses for spinning machines during the American industr ...
(1738–1836).
Family
John Brown was a descendant of
Chad Brown, a co-founder of Providence and early Baptist minister at the
First Baptist Church in America following
Roger Williams. His uncle was Obadiah Brown I (1712–1762), who joined Brown's father, James Brown II (1698–1739), in the mercantile trade in cocoa, rum, molasses. He also enslaved and sold men, women and children of African descent. Obadiah's initial role was as master of his brother's shipping vessels in the West Indies trade. After the death of Brown's father in 1739, Obadiah retired from the sea himself, but continued the business. He also helped to raise James' young children, later forming a partnership with James' four surviving sons as "Obadiah Brown & Co." Obadiah Brown I, who married his first cousin, Mary Harris (1718–1805), daughter of Toleration and Sarah Harris, had eight children. All four of their sons died in early childhood, and their four daughters, Brown's first cousins, were Phebe Brown (born 1738), who married John Fenner (brother of Governor Arthur Fenner), Sarah Brown (1742–1800), who married Lt. Gov.
Jabez Bowen
Jabez Bowen, Sr. (June 2, 1739May 7, 1815) was an American shipper, slave trader and politician. He was a militia colonel during the American Revolutionary War, and served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island and chief justice of the Rhode Isla ...
(1739–1815), Anna Brown (1744–1773), who married her first cousin,
Moses Brown
Moses Brown (September 23, 1738 – September 6, 1836) was an American abolitionist and industrialist from New England, who funded the design and construction of some of the first factory houses for spinning machines during the American industr ...
, and Mary Brown (born 1753), who married
Thomas Arnold (1751–1826). Another uncle was Rhode Island Deputy Governor
Elisha Brown and a nephew was
Nicholas Brown Jr., the philanthropist and the namesake of Brown University.
Career
Brown went on to own a successful farming and shipping business with his brothers, Nicholas,
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
, and
Moses Brown
Moses Brown (September 23, 1738 – September 6, 1836) was an American abolitionist and industrialist from New England, who funded the design and construction of some of the first factory houses for spinning machines during the American industr ...
. He was active in the
slave trade
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
and
China trade
The Old China Trade () refers to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghia in 1844. The Old ...
and invested heavily in
privateers during the 1760s through 1780s.
Brown was a leader in the
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It pl ...
and was one of the instigators of the
burning of the ''Gaspee'' in 1772. Along with the
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to sell t ...
, this was one of the first violent acts of defiance to the authority of the British Crown which eventually led up to the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
.
In 1775, during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
, John Brown sold the United States Navy its first ship, the
USS ''Providence'' (previously, the ''Katy''). Brown was named as a delegate for
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
to the
Continental Congress in 1784–1785 but did not attend.
Controversy
John Brown was also an active slave trader. On March 22, 1794, Congress passed the
Slave Trade Act of 1794
The Slave Trade Act of 1794 was a law passed by the United States Congress that prohibited American ships from engaging the international slave trade. It was signed into law by President George Washington on March 22, 1794. This was the first of ...
, which prohibited the making, loading, outfitting, equipping, or dispatching of any ship to be used in human trafficking. Subsequently, on August 5, 1797, John Brown was ordered to forfeit his ship . He was tried in federal court as the first American to be tried under the 1794 law. Brown was acquitted, but did not have his ship returned.
Brown's involvement in the
Triangular Trade
Triangular trade or triangle trade is trade between three ports or regions. Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export commodities that are not required in the region from which its major imports come. It has been used to offset ...
in enslaving Africans purchased from African tribal chiefs, and financial contribution to the early years of Brown University's development are addressed in the official ''Response of Brown University to the Report of the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice.''
Business interests
Brown's business interests were varied. In addition to the slave trade he was involved in shipbuilding and real estate speculation. He was also a partner (along with his brother
Moses Brown
Moses Brown (September 23, 1738 – September 6, 1836) was an American abolitionist and industrialist from New England, who funded the design and construction of some of the first factory houses for spinning machines during the American industr ...
and Rhode Island Governor
Stephen Hopkins) in the
Hope Furnace (located in Hope Village on the border of towns of Scituate and Coventry, RI) which made cannons during the American Revolution and through the War of 1812.
In 1791 Brown founded Providence Bank - the first bank in Rhode Island, and organizer of the Providence
South Bridge Company. After various acquisitions over the next 160 years Providence Bank evolved into
FleetBoston Financial
FleetBoston Financial was a Boston, Massachusetts-based bank created in 1999 by the merger of Fleet Financial Group and BankBoston. In 2004 it merged with Bank of America; all of its banks and branches were converted to Bank of America.
Histor ...
which, in turn, was absorbed by
Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
in 2004. Providence Bank is one of the oldest "branches" in Bank of America's "family tree" and is, at least arguably, still a "living" corporate entity.
The original Providence Bank building still stands at
50 South Main Street in Providence and is the corporate office of the
Brown & Ives Land Company which is another business which can trace its roots to John Brown.
American revolution
![Destruction_of_the_schooner_gaspee](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Destruction_of_the_schooner_gaspee.jpg)
John Brown played a leading role in the
''Gaspée'' Affair of 1772 that increased hostilities between the thirteen colonies and the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
and
helped catalyze events leading up to the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. He was an active Federalist and pushed against Rhode Island's
anti-federalist
Anti-Federalism was a late-18th century political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. The previous constitution, called the Articles of Con ...
, "
Country Party" in getting Rhode Island to become part of federal union.
''Providence'', the first warship to sail for America's Continental Navy, was built in 1768 by John Brown. It was purchased by the colony of Rhode Island after British men-of-war began attacking Rhode Island's shipping lanes. The General Assembly ordered its committee of safety to fit out two ships to defend the lanes, one of which became the ''Providence''. The ship—at one time under the command of
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...
, considered the father of the American Navy—went on to participate in 60 battles and to capture 40 British ships before it was dismantled in 1779 to prevent it from falling into the hands of the British.
Political activity
Brown was elected to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
in 1798 and served one two-year term from March 4, 1799, to March 3, 1801. The carriage he travelled to Washington in is referred to as "John Brown's chariot" and is preserved at the
John Brown House in Providence.
Death and burial
John Brown died in
Providence,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
on September 20, 1803, and interred in the Brown family plot in the
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 Ceme ...
in Providence.
Personal life
He was married to Sarah (Smith) Brown (1738–1825). Together, they had:
* James Brown III (1761–1834) from Rhode Island, who never married, was educated at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
where he graduated in 1780. In 1789, James was elected a member of the Board of Fellows of Brown University, and regularly attended meetings until his death.
* Abigail Brown Francis
* Sarah Brown Herreshoff (1773–1846), who married Charles Frederick Herreshoff (1763–1819), an engineer derived from Germany.
* Alice Brown Mason
Descendants
Brown's grandson
John Brown Francis
John Brown Francis (May 31, 1791August 9, 1864) was a governor and United States Senator from Rhode Island.
Early life
John Brown Francis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 31, 1791, son of John Francis and Abigail Brown. Francis' ...
was later a
U.S. Senator and
Governor of Rhode Island
The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...
. His grandson, Charles Frederick Herreshoff (1809–1888), and his sons, James Brown Herreshoff (1834–1930),
John Brown Herreshoff (1841–1914), and
Nathanael Greene Herreshoff
Nathanael Greene Herreshoff (March 18, 1848 – June 2, 1938) was an American naval architect, mechanical engineer, and yacht design innovator. He produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893 and 1920.
Biography
Her ...
(1848–1938) founded the ''Herreshoff Manufacturing Company'', a boat-building establishment in Bristol, Rhode Island.
See also
*
John Brown House
*
Elkanah Watson
Elkanah Watson (January 22, 1758 – December 5, 1842) was a visionary traveler and writer, agriculturist and canal promoter, banker and businessman. He was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts and died at Port Kent, New York. He worked in Albany ...
References
Further reading
* Charles Rappleye, ''Sons of Providence: The Brown Brothers, the Slave Trade, and the American Revolution'' (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2006).
* Bangs, Jeremy D, "The Travels of Elkanah Watson" (McFarland & Company, 2015).
External links
*
Encyclopedia Brunoniana*
ttp://gaspee.org/JohnBrown.htm Biographical notes on John Brown by the Gaspee Virtual ArchivesFinal reportan
reflecting on the university's historical relationship to slavery (including through John Brown and his family)
Providence Journal (2006) article on the conflict between John and Moses Brown from a series on Rhode Island's Slave History.
"Hidden in Plain Sight: Slavery and Justice in Rhode Island" - an address by Brown President Ruth J. Simmons at St. John's College, Cambridge University on the occasion of the bicentenary of the Act of Parliament abolishing the British slave trade
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, John
1736 births
1803 deaths
Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island
American people of English descent
Brown University people
American slave traders
People of colonial Rhode Island
University and college founders
Patriots in the American Revolution
People of Rhode Island in the American Revolution
American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by Great Britain
American proslavery activists
Baptists from Rhode Island
John Brown I
Burials in Rhode Island
Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island
American white supremacists
Colonial American merchants