Fred H. Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2nd Comptroller General of the United States | |
| In office April 11, 1939 – June 19, 1940 | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | John R. McCarl |
| Succeeded by | Lindsay Carter Warren |
| United States Senator fromNew Hampshire | |
| In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939 | |
| Preceded by | George H. Moses |
| Succeeded by | Charles W. Tobey |
| 59th Governor of New Hampshire | |
| In office January 4, 1923 – January 1, 1925 | |
| Preceded by | Albert O. Brown |
| Succeeded by | John G. Winant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1879-04-12)April 12, 1879 Ossipee, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | February 3, 1955(1955-02-03) (aged 75) Somersworth, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College Boston University School of Law |
Baseball player Baseball career | |
| Outfielder | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 4, 1901, for the Boston Beaneaters | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 18, 1902, for the Boston Beaneaters | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .200 |
| Runs batted in | 2 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
Fred Herbert Brown (April 12, 1879 – February 3, 1955) was an American lawyer, baseball player, and politician fromNew Hampshire. A member of theDemocratic Party, Brown was the 59thgovernor of New Hampshire and aUnited States Senator.
Brown attendedDartmouth College and played for theBoston Beaneaters ofMajor League Baseball’sNational League in 1901 and 1902. He earned a law degree atBoston University and went into legal practice after he retired from baseball. Brown was electedmayor ofSomersworth, New Hampshire, and appointedUnited States Attorney for theDistrict of New Hampshire.
Brown was elected Governor in 1922, but was defeated for reelection in 1924. After serving on thePublic Service Commission, he was elected to the Senate in 1932. He lost his reelection bid in 1938, and served asComptroller General of the United States from 1939 to 1940, when he resigned due to poor health.
Brown was born on April 12, 1879, to Dana and Nellie Brown inOssipee, New Hampshire.[1] He was an only child.[2] Brown attendedDow Academy, and graduated in 1897.[3] He playedsemi-professional baseball inSomersworth, New Hampshire, before he enrolled atDartmouth College. He joined the Pi chapter ofDelta Kappa Epsilon and playedcollege baseball for theDartmouth Big Green team as acatcher.[1]
Frank Selee of theBoston Beaneaters, who played in theNational League ofMajor League Baseball, signed Brown before the 1901 season.[4] Brown made his major league debut on May 4, 1901, as aright fielder. He played in seven games for the Beaneaters in 1901, before he was demoted to theProvidence Grays of theClass AEastern League.[5] He played in two games for the Beaneaters in 1902, and spent the majority of the 1902 season with Providence. He played nine games for the Beaneaters over the course of those two seasons, seven in theoutfield,batting .200 (4-for-20) and not making anerror in 10chances in the field.[2]
In 1903, Browncoached the Dartmouth Big Green,[6] and played for Providence and theJersey City Skeeters, also of the Eastern League. He played for theHaverhill Hustlers of theClass BNew England League in 1904,[2] and returned to Haverhill in 1905 and 1906.[7] Brown suffered frompneumonia early in 1906, and was not at full strength even after he recovered. Haverhill released him during the season.[8][9] Brown played baseball as asemi-professional in Somersworth in 1907.[10]
During his baseball career, Brown attended theBoston University School of Law in 1904 and 1905, earning a law degree.[1][2] He moved to Somersworth in August 1906 to work in law for James A. Edgerly. He entered into a partnership with Edgerly,[1] passed thebar examination in June 1907,[3] and took over the practice after Edgerly's death. He served as city solicitor for Somersworth from 1908 to 1914.[1] He was apresidential elector in the1912 election[11] and was electedmayor of Somersworth in March 1914.[12]PresidentWoodrow Wilson nominated Brown to be theUnited States Attorney for theDistrict of New Hampshire in June 1914,[13] and reappointed him in July 1918. Brown resigned in April 1922.[1]
Brown entered the1922 election forGovernor of New Hampshire. He faced two candidates in theDemocratic Partyprimary election,[14] and won.[15] He defeatedRepublican Windsor H. Goodnow in the general election.[16] As governor, he cut spending below the levels estimated by theNew Hampshire Legislature and advocated for tax cuts. Brown was entered into nomination at the1924 Democratic National Convention.[17][18] He ran for reelection as governor in1924, and he was renominated without opposition.[19] He lost the general election to RepublicanJohn Gilbert Winant, while RepublicanCalvin Coolidge carried the state in the1924 presidential election.[20] After Winant took office in 1925, he nominated Brown for a six-year term on theNew Hampshire Public Service Commission.[21] He succeeded Thomas Worthen on the commission on June 1, 1925.[22]
In January 1932, Democrats fromStrafford County began to recruit Brown to enter the1932 election for theUnited States Senate.[23] He ran, facing two candidates in the Democratic primary election,[24] and won.[25] Brown defeated Republican incumbentGeorge H. Moses in the general election, with the assistance ofFranklin D. Roosevelt's landslide victory in the1932 presidential election.[26][27] In the Senate, Brown supported Roosevelt'sNew Deal,[28] served on thejoint committee that investigated theTennessee Valley Authority, voted to confirmHugo Black to theSupreme Court of the United States[29] and chaired theSenate Commerce Committee'sSubcommittee on Communications.[30] Brown was not opposed when he ran for renomination in the1938 election,[31] but he lost in the general election to RepublicanCharles W. Tobey.[32]
Roosevelt appointed Brown to a 15-year term asComptroller General of the United States in March 1939,[33] and his nomination was approved in April.[34][35] As comptroller general, he supported the decision to use marble from Vermont in the construction of theJefferson Memorial[36] and ruled that states could not collect taxes from the federal government.[37] He also approved an $11 million contract ($248,657,895 in current dollar terms) for cement to use in the construction of theShasta Dam.[38]
Brown suffered a stroke in December 1939,[39] and resigned as Comptroller General due to poor health in June 1940.[40] The next month, Roosevelt nominated Brown to theUnited States Tariff Commission,[41] and he was confirmed on August 1.[42] He resigned the position in 1941.[2] Brown remained in New Hampshire, where he met with PresidentHarry S. Truman during his tour through New Hampshire during the1952 presidential election.[43]
Brown married Edna McHarg, who worked as a secretary in theNew Hampshire State House, in May 1925. They did not have children.[2]
Brown died fromcardiac arrest in his home in Somersworth on February 3, 1955.[2][44]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | 29thUnited States Attorney for theDistrict of New Hampshire 1914–1922 | Succeeded by Raymond V. Smith |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Charles E. Tilton | Democratic nominee forGovernor of New Hampshire 1922,1924 | Succeeded by Eaton D. Sargent |
| Preceded by Robert C. Murchie | Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator fromNew Hampshire (Class 3) 1932,1938 | Succeeded by Joseph J. Betley |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of New Hampshire 1923–1925 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | United States Senator (Class 3) from New Hampshire 1933–1939 | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
