William Gay Brown Jr.
Brown in 1911
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWest Virginia's2nd district
In office March 4, 1911 – March 9, 1916
Preceded by	George Cookman Sturgiss
Succeeded by	George Meade Bowers
Personal details
Born	(1856-04-07)April 7, 1856 Kingwood, Virginia, U.S.
Died	March 9, 1916(1916-03-09) (aged 59) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	West Virginia University
Profession	Lawyer

William Gay Brown Jr. (April 7, 1856 – March 9, 1916) was alawyer andpolitician who served as aUnited States representative fromWest Virginia.^[1] A member of theDemocratic Party, Brown representedWest Virginia's 2nd congressional district from 1911 to 1916.

Brown was born on April 7, 1856, inKingwood, Virginia (now West Virginia), the only child of lawyer and former CongressmanWilliam G. Brown Sr., and his second wife, Margaret Gay Brown (d. 1913), who survived her husband by nearly two decades and was close to her son. Brown's father was a leading Unionist during the American Civil War, sometimes called the "Father of West Virginia", and would be the first congressman elected to West Virginia's 2nd congressional district when the state was formed.

Brown graduated fromWest Virginia University in 1877, where he was a member ofPhi Sigma Kappa fraternity. The same year, he was admitted tothe bar and opened his law practice in Preston County. Like his father, he also worked in banking. His father died in 1884, leaving a substantial estate. In 1896, young Brown lost his first bid to become a congressman.^[2] In 1910, voters elected Brown as a Democrat to the62nd United States Congress, and he was re-elected to the63rd and64th United States Congresses. He served from March 4, 1911, until he died in office on March 9, 1916.^[3]

Brown married three times. His first marriage was in 1883 to Jessie Thomas, ofTyrone, Pennsylvania, who died three years later near the birth of their daughter Jessie. His second wife, Flora B. Martin, a West Virginia native, fell victim to pneumonia in 1912 after about ten years of marriage. His third wife, actress and women's rights activistIzetta Jewel Kenney, whom he married in December 1914, gave birth to their daughter, Izetta Jewel Gay Brown, in March 1916.^[4][5] Brown died on March 9, 1916, inWashington, D.C., and was buried in the family plot at Kingwood Cemetery inKingwood, West Virginia.

• United States congressional delegations from West Virginia
• List of members of the United States Congress who died in office (1900–1949)

 This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.

• William G. Brown Jr. atFind a Grave

• 1856 births
• 1916 deaths
• Lawyers from Kingwood, West Virginia
• American people of Scottish descent
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia
• West Virginia lawyers
• 19th-century American legislators
• 19th-century American lawyers
• 20th-century American lawyers
• West Virginia University alumni
• 19th-century West Virginia politicians
• 20th-century West Virginia politicians
• 20th-century United States representatives
• Politicians from Kingwood, West Virginia

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