William W. Brown (Wisconsin politician)

William Wells Brown or W. W. Brown (died October 3, 1871)[1] was an American merchant and pioneer settler of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who served in the Wisconsin State Assembly for one year, as a member of the 1st Wisconsin Legislature in 1848.[2]

Brown 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

In 1839, Brown, a Whig, was a candidate for Assessor in Milwaukee.[6] He served in the House of Representatives of the Wisconsin Territory for one term representing Milwaukee County in the first 1847 session.[7] After statehood, he was elected in 1848 to the 3rd Milwaukee County Assembly district (the 3rd Ward of the City of Milwaukee). He was a candidate for re-election in 1849,[8] but was not elected. (The Assembly was re-districted, and it is unclear who succeeded him.)

In 1851, he came in 7th out of 8 candidates for alderman in the Third Ward.[9] He was successful in 1852, coming in first out of four candidates.[10]

He was elected as a delegate to the 1852 Whig National Convention,[11] and in 1852 was the Whig candidate for Sheriff of Milwaukee County.[12]

Private life

In 1851, he was among the incorporators (along with Kilbourn, Upham and others) of the Milwaukee and Humboldt Plank Road Company.[13]

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.[14]

At the time of his death, he "was well known through the State as a great wag".[1]

gollark: I have thought otherwise for ages because I quite like humans existing.
gollark: Oh please, you literally said basically the same thing a few months ago.
gollark: yep.
gollark: > got auth left back a while agoHIGHLY uncool.
gollark: I live in the UK and am libcenter-leaning-vaguely-rightish.

References
  1. "(Untitled)". The Weekly Herald (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin). 7 October 1871. p. 2 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ""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.
  3. 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)
  4. 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)
  5. Lorenzsonn, Axel. Steam & Cinders: The Advent of Railroads in Wisconsin Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society, 2010; pp. 50-51
  6. "Whig Nominations" April 1, 1839; p. 4, col. 1
  7. 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
  8. "Whig Nominations" Milwaukee Sentinel and Gazette November 3, 1849; p. 2, col. 1]
  9. "Local Matters:Charter Election Returns". Daily Free Democrat May 21, 1851; p. 3, col. 1
  10. "Milwaukee Charter Election: Ward Officers." Weekly Wisconsin March 10, 1852; p. 1, col. 7
  11. "Whig State Convention" Oshkosh Democrat October 10, 1851; p. 2, cols. 5-6
  12. "Whig Nominations: Scott County Ticket" Milwaukee Daily Sentinel October 28, 1852; p. 2, col. 2
  13. Odell, R. H., compiler. Official Directory of Corporations of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee: Odell & Owen, 1904; p. 236
  14. Buck, James Smith. Pioneer History of Milwaukee: From the First American Settlement in 1833 to 1846 Milwaukee: Symes, Swain & Co., Book and Job Printers, 1881; Vol. 2, p. 153
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