William Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown with his dog Taffy in 1919 | |
| Born | September 1861 North Shields, Northumberland, England |
| Died | 27 September 1931 (aged 70) Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England |
| Resting place | Golders Green Crematorium |
| Occupation(s) | Veterinarian, activist |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Elfrida Vipont (niece) |
William BrownJP (September 1861 – 27 September 1931) was an English veterinarian and activist. A prominentQuaker, he was actively engaged in religious, social, and political work throughout his life. He advocated foranimal rights,temperance,peace, andagainst vivisection.
William Brown was born in September 1861 inNorth Shields, Northumberland, to aQuaker family.[1][2][3] He was the son of Charles and Emily Brown (d. 1904), and his brother was Dr E. Vipont Brown ofManchester.[2][4]
Brown was a member of theRoyal College of Veterinary Surgeons.[2] He practiced as aveterinary surgeon for 39 years inWiveliscombe, Somerset, after moving there around 1886. He also served as veterinary inspector for the Wiveliscombe,Dulverton, andBishops Lydeard districts under theDiseases of Animals Act.[5] In 1925, he retired from practice and resigned as Veterinary Inspector.[6] He then moved toTottenham, where he undertook Quaker social work.[7]
While living in Wiveliscombe, Brown was active in civic and religious affairs. He served as ajustice of the peace for Somerset and sat in the local courts.[7][8] In 1910 he was elected president of the Taunton and District Free Church Council.[9]
Brown was active in the Adult School movement and worked to connect its members. He also served on the local School Board and the Council School Managers.[10]
Initially a supporter of theLiberal Party, Brown assisted candidates in theWest Somerset constituency. Later, he became aLabour sympathiser, helpingJames Lunnon in his campaign against SirArthur Griffith-Boscawen.[7] He also served as the chairman of the Taunton and West Somerset Labour Party.[10]
Although a Quaker, Brown maintained close ties with theCongregational Church and helped establish a branch of theGood Templars inWiveliscombe. He also founded an Adult Bible Class for the congregation, which continued for many years. Brown supported theBritish and Foreign Bible Society and was active in promoting its work.[10]
Brown was a prominent member of the Society of Friends in theWest of England.[7] In 1897, he was recorded as a minister by the West Division of Somerset Monthly Meeting.[11] During theFirst World War, he was an active Quaker chaplain forconscientious objectors.[7] He also committed himself to the Society of Friends' reconstruction efforts in the distressed areas of South Wales.[7]
Brown travelled around the country lecturing onanti-vivisection,peace, andtemperance.[7] He also served as president of the Prohibition Society.[7]
In 1905, in association with the Friends' Anti-Vivisection Association, Brown delivered lectures on vivisection andanimal rights, arguing that animals have the right to be protected from suffering.[12] In 1919, at the request of the association, he compiled a series of lectures he had delivered on the subject, published under the titleOur Lesser Brethren.[13]
After the founding of theCats Protection League in 1927, Brown joined its council.[14] In 1929, he spoke out againstblood sports, stating:[15]
Have you a right to torture animals for your pleasure? Have you a right to make their lives amid terror and misery in order to derive some measure of gratification from what are called the pleasures of the chase?
Brown was avegetarian.[16] He married Emily Stripp atLooe, Cornwall, on 31 May 1888.[17] They had two sons, Edgar and William.[1] William was later the editor ofTheVeterinary Journal.[18]
On 28 June 1921, Brown was involved in a fatal motor accident inTaunton. Arthur Putman, 72, stepped into the road and was struck despite Brown's efforts to avoid him. A witness confirmed Brown was not at fault.[19]
Brown died fromheart failure in his sleep on 27 September 1931.[7] He had celebrated his 70th birthday that month and was attending a Quaker conference atWelwyn Garden City.[2] On 1 October, he was cremated atGolders Green Crematorium and a memorial was held atFriends House onEuston Road.[7]
In December 1932, a new lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars in Wiveliscombe was established as the William Brown Memorial Lodge, following a ceremony with visiting members and addresses on temperance.[20]
Quotations related toWilliam Brown at Wikiquote