Joseph Owen Brown (January 8, 1846 – March 15, 1903) served as
Mayor of Pittsburgh from November 25, 1901 to March 15, 1903.
Biography
He was born on January 8, 1846, in what is today
East Deer Township, Pennsylvania, just north of
Pittsburgh. He served as
prothonotary of
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania from 1880 until 1887. His first political position in Pittsburgh was
director of public safety, a job he obtained in 1887.
Mayor Joseph Brown's administration battled rampant vice within the city with differing degrees of success. The incompetence of the rank and file law enforcers in the city was displayed for everyone to see when the Biddle Brothers made a daring escape from the Pittsburgh jail. The
Frick Building was constructed on
Grant Street
Grant Street is the main government and business corridor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is home to the global headquarters of U.S. Steel, Koppers Chemicals, and Oxford Development. It also is home to the seat of Allegheny County, City of Pitts ...
during the Joseph Brown term.
["The Spectator and the Topographical City", by Martin Aurand, page 38.]
He died in office from heart failure on March 15, 1903. He was buried at Bull Creek Cemetery, not far away from his hometown,
Tarentum, Pennsylvania.
See also
*
List of mayors of Pittsburgh
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Joseph O.
1846 births
1903 deaths
Mayors of Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania prothonotaries