William Wells Brown or W. W. Brown (died October 3, 1871) was an American merchant and pioneer settler of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly for the 1st Wisconsin Legislature (1848).[1][2]
William W. Brown | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Milwaukee 3rd district | |
| In office June 5, 1848 – January 1, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Julius White |
| Representative to the Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory from Milwaukee County | |
| In office January 4, 1847 – October 18, 1847 Serving with William Shew and Andrew Sullivan | |
| Preceded by | Samuel H. Barstow, John Crawford, James Magone, Benjamin H. Mooers, Luther Parker, and William H. Thomas (Milwaukee & Washington counties) |
| Succeeded by | Isaac P. Walker, James Holliday, and Asa Kinney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Albany, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 3, 1871 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Tuberculosis |
| Political party | Whig |
| Nickname | "Double-head" |
Early Years in Wisconsin Territory
editBrown came early to Milwaukee, a contemporary of George H. Walker, Byron Kilbourn, and Don A. J. Upham.[3] The first ship built in Milwaukee, the 30-ton sloop Wenona, was built for Brown by George Barber in 1835. By 1842, Brown also owned the 100-ton schooner Fur Trader, and was an active merchant in Milwaukee (his Wm. Brown and Company was one of the first businesses in Milwaukee). He was sometimes called "Double-Headed Brown" to distinguish him from another William Brown, with whom he was at one time in business partnership.
He served as a contractor building the mile-long canal in Milwaukee for Kilbourn and Increase Lapham's Rock River Canal Company, which was begun in April 1841 and ready for use by December 1842.[4] This was the only portion of the canal which would ever be built; the bed thereof later became Commerce Street in Milwaukee's Beerline B neighborhood.[5]
Legislative service and political activism
editHe served in the House of Representatives of the Wisconsin Territory for one term representing Milwaukee County in the first 1847 session.[6] After statehood, he was elected in 1848 to the 3rd Milwaukee County Assembly district (the 3rd Ward of the City of Milwaukee). He was not a candidate for re-election in the 1848 fall election, and was succeeded by fellow Whig Julius White.[7] Brown ran again for the Assembly in 1849 but was not successful, losing to Democrat Edward McGarry.[8][9]
In 1851, he came in 7th out of 8 candidates for alderman in the Third Ward.[10] He was successful in 1852, coming in first out of four candidates.[11]
He was elected as a delegate to the 1852 Whig National Convention,[12] and in 1852 was the Whig candidate for Sheriff of Milwaukee County.[13]
Private life
editIn 1851, he was among the incorporators (along with Kilbourn, Upham and others) of the Milwaukee and Humboldt Plank Road Company.[14]
Milwaukee pioneer historian James Smith Buck described Brown's final years as follows:
Few men have ever lived in Milwaukee who were more widely known, or less thought of (when we take into consideration his ability, for he was a very smart man,) than William W. Brown. Had he devoted his talents to a proper use, his memory would have been respected; but he did not, and finally died, deserted and alone. I shall never forget the look of utter despair that sat upon his face as I met him for the last time, in October, 1871... wending his weary way to the European Hotel, which he never left again alive; it said plainly enough, "This is the end of a misspent life."... He died a few days later, and I remember the difficulty his few remaining friends (and I could name them all,) had, to get help enough to get his body from his room to the hearse.[15]
At the time of his death (of "quick consumption"), he was described as "well known through the State as a great wag".[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "William W. Brown". The Weekly Herald. Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. October 7, 1871. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ ""Members of the Wisconsin Legislature 1848–1999 State of Wisconsin Legislative Bureau. Information Bulletin 99-1, September 1999. p. 33" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-12-09. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
- ^ Childs, Ebenezer "Recollections of Wisconsin Since 1820", p. 186; in Draper, Lyman C., et al. "Document M: Fourth and Fifth Annual Reports and Collections of State Historical Society, in, Annual message of Alexander W. Randall, governor of the state of Wisconsin, and accompanying documents Madison: James Ross, State Printer, 1860 (Covers 1858/1859)
- ^ Holton, Edward W. "Commercial History of Milwaukee", pp. 256, 263, 265, 281; in Draper, Lyman C., et al. "Document M: Fourth and Fifth Annual Reports and Collections of State Historical Society, in, Annual message of Alexander W. Randall, governor of the state of Wisconsin, and accompanying documents Madison: James Ross, State Printer, 1860 (Covers 1858/1859)
- ^ Lorenzsonn, Axel. Steam & Cinders: The Advent of Railroads in Wisconsin Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society, 2010; pp. 50-51
- ^ Watrous, Jerome A. Memoirs of Milwaukee County, from the Earliest Historical Times Down to the Present, Including a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families in Milwaukee County Madison: Western Historical Association, 1909. Vol. 1, pp. 91-92
- ^ "Members of the Legislature Elect". The Weekly Wisconsin. November 15, 1848. p. 2. Retrieved August 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Whig Nominations". Milwaukee Daily Sentinel. October 31, 1849. p. 2. Retrieved August 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "In Assembly". Wisconsin Democrat. January 12, 1850. p. 1. Retrieved August 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Local Matters:Charter Election Returns". Daily Free Democrat May 21, 1851; p. 3, col. 1
- ^ "Milwaukee Charter Election: Ward Officers." Weekly Wisconsin March 10, 1852; p. 1, col. 7
- ^ "Whig State Convention" Oshkosh Democrat October 10, 1851; p. 2, cols. 5-6
- ^ "Whig Nominations: Scott County Ticket" Milwaukee Daily Sentinel October 28, 1852; p. 2, col. 2
- ^ Odell, R. H., compiler. Official Directory of Corporations of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee: Odell & Owen, 1904; p. 236
- ^ Buck, James Smith (1881). Pioneer History of Milwaukee. Vol. 2. Milwaukee: Symes, Swain & Co. p. 153. Retrieved August 19, 2021.