William Lee Brown (December 25, 1840

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

– December 13, 1906 Great Barrington,

Berkshire County, Massachusetts Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...

) was an American newspaper publisher and politician from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and New York.

Life

The family removed to

Mahoning County, Ohio Mahoning County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 228,614. Its county seat and largest city is Youngstown, Ohio, Youngstown. The county is List of ...

, soon after William was born. He taught school in

, and then in

Copiah County, Mississippi Copiah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,368. The county seat is Hazlehurst. With an eastern border formed by the Pearl River, Copiah County is part of the Jackson, MS Me ...

, until 1861. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

he fought with the 88th and the 125th Ohio Volunteers. After the war, he removed to

Virginia City Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...

, then the capital of the

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries T ...

. He was Chief Clerk of the Territorial Legislature, and also engaged in gold mining. A few years later, he returned to

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

. He was a delegate from Ohio to the

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

and 1876 Democratic National Conventions. In 1874, he was aide-de-camp to Gov.

William Allen William Allen may refer to: Politicians United States *William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio *William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio *William ...

, with the rank of colonel. In 1875, he was elected to the

Ohio State Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

. From 1875 to 1880, he published ''The Vindicator'' in Youngstown. In 1880, he removed to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and became a partner of Benjamin Wood, co-publishing the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

''. Brown was a delegate from New York to the 1884 and 1888 Democratic National Conventions; and a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(5th D.) from 1890 to 1893, sitting in the 113th, 114th, 115th and

116th New York State Legislature The 116th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to April 20, 1893, during the second year of Roswell P. Flower's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the pr ...

s. After the death of Benjamin Wood in 1900, his widow Ida Wood ousted Brown from the management of the paper, and Brown retired to an estate in

Great Barrington, Massachusetts Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,172 at the 2020 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, ...

, where he engaged in horse and cattle breeding. He died there on December 13, 1906.

Sources

''The New York Red Book''
compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; pg. 403f)
''New York State Legislative Souvenir for 1893 with Portraits of the Members of Both Houses''
by Henry P. Phelps (pg. 8f)
Biographical sketches of the members of the Legislature
in ''The Evening Journal Almanac'' (1892)
''COL. BROWN AND HIS PAPER PASS AWAY TOGETHER''
in NYT on December 14, 1906
''History of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, Ohio''
by Joseph Green Butler, Jr. (1921; Vol. I, pg. 348) {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, William L 1840 births 1906 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators 19th-century American newspaper editors Politicians from Youngstown, Ohio People from Great Barrington, Massachusetts Ohio state senators Journalists from New York City Journalists from Ohio People from Mahoning County, Ohio People from Copiah County, Mississippi People from Virginia City, Montana 19th-century American politicians