Obadiah Bruen Brown (July 20, 1779 – May 2, 1852) was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

clergyman who served as Chaplain of the House (1807–1809 and 1814–1815) and as

Chaplain of the Senate The chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for senators, their staffs, and their families. The chaplain is appoi ...

(1809–1810).

Early life

Obadiah Bruen Brown was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, Brown started attending the Baptist Church when it was organized in Newark. At age 24, he joined this church and soon the members of the congregation began encouraging him to enter the ministry. Within a few months, O.B. Brown had gone to

Scotch Plains, New Jersey Scotch Plains is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The township is located on a ridge in northern- central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 201 ...

, to study theology with the Rev. William Van Horn, pastor of the most prominent Baptist church in the New Jersey-New York area."Obadiah B. Brown: A Neglected, Forgotten Baptist Hero", by Rev. John C. Hillhouse, Jr. 1993

Ministry

Brown was invited to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1807 to preach several sermons as a test of his ability. The Washington First Baptist Church voted, without a dissenting vote, to appoint him as their first pastor. The church could not financially support a pastor. So Brown obtained a clerkship in the

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...

and eventually held the post of Chief of the Contract Division. He became the fiscal agent representing several Congressmen in Washington during the months they returned to their home states. He and his wife Elizabeth turned their home into a boardinghouse. Brown was the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Washington for more than 40 years. Brown served as Chaplain of the House (1807–1809 and 1814–1815) and as Chaplain of the Senate (1809–1810). At the encouragement of President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

, Brown was among a group of Baptist leaders who created the Columbian College, which decades later became the

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

. On February 8, 1821, the college was formally chartered by Congress. The college property was in Obadiah Brown's name on the deed. He was the President of the college's board of trustees.Obadiah Bruen Brown Family papers
Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University.

Personal life

Brown married Elizabeth Jackson Reilly. Their four children include Mary Elizabeth Brown, Dr. William Van Horne Brown and Thomas B. Brown. Brown died on May 2, 1852. For years, Washingtonians still thought of the sanctuary he had built for the second meetinghouse of the First Baptist Church as ''"Brown's Church"''; when the congregation moved, it was renovated to become

Ford's Theater Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in August 1863. The theater is infamous for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater box ...

. O. B. Brown's body was buried in the

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

; the remains were moved to Oak Hill Cemetery on November 10, 1868.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Obadiah Bruen Chaplains of the United States House of Representatives Chaplains of the United States Senate 1779 births 1852 deaths 19th-century Baptist ministers from the United States George Washington University trustees Burials at the Congressional Cemetery Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)