Nicholas Brown Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Nicholas Brown Jr., painted byChester Harding, 1836 | |
| Born | April 4, 1769 |
| Died | September 27, 1841(1841-09-27) (aged 72) Providence,Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Resting place | North Burial Ground Providence, Rhode Island |
| Alma mater | Brown University (1786) |
| Occupation(s) | Legislator[citation needed] Philanthropist |
| Children | Nicholas Brown III John Carter Brown II |
| Parent(s) | Nicholas Brown Rhoda Jenckes |
Nicholas Brown Jr. (April 4, 1769 – September 27, 1841) was an American businessman and philanthropist fromProvidence, Rhode Island, and the namesake ofBrown University.
Brown was the son of Rhoda Jenckes (1741–1783) andNicholas Brown Sr. (1729–1791), a merchant and co-founder ofBrown University (which was then called College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations). He was the nephew ofJohn Brown (1736–1803) andMoses Brown (1738–1836) and a descendant of English colonist and Baptist ministerChad Brown (c. 1600–1650), who co-foundedProvidence. His maternal grandfather wasDaniel Jenckes (1701–1774), a judge from a prominent family.[1]
Both Nicholas Brown Jr. and his father were members of and large donors to theFirst Baptist Church in America. Brown Jr. graduated from theCollege of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1786. After the death of his father, he created the company ofBrown & Ives with his future brother-in-lawThomas Poynton Ives, and served in the state legislature as a Federalist.
After inheriting his father's estate in 1791, Brown became such a great benefactor to the school that it was renamedBrown University in 1804 when he donated $5,000 to the college. His total gifts to it were over $150,000. He also co-founded theProvidence Athenaeum and was active in various Baptist and literary causes. He was elected a member of theAmerican Antiquarian Society in 1813.[2]
He was married twice; in 1791 to Ann Carter (1770–1798), daughter ofJohn Carter (1745–1814), a prominent printer in Providence, and in 1801, to Mary Bowen Stelle (d. December, 1836), daughter of Benjamin Stelle, Esq.[3][4]
His children were:[5]
After his death September 27, 1841, Brown was interred inNorth Burial Ground in Providence.[9] He left a $30,000 bequest to found a mental hospital, which eventually becameButler Hospital.[10][11]
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