John Brown (Rhode Island)

John Brown ( born January 27, 1736, in Providence, Rhode Iceland, † September 20, 1803 ) was an American politician. Between 1799 and 1801 he represented the state of Rhode Iceland in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

John Brown was a member of a prominent family in Rhode Iceland. He was a descendant of Chad Brown, a co-founder of the city of Providence in Rhode Iceland. His nephew Benjamin was of 1815-1816 the state of Massachusetts as a delegate in Congress. Brown's grandson John Francis Brown was governor and later U.S. Senator for Rhode Iceland. His younger brother Moses later joined the abolitionist movement for the abolition of slavery, after he had first been active in the slave trade.

Brown grew still in the British colonial era. Together with his brothers, Nicholas, Joseph and Moses, he managed a successful farm and was in the mail order business operates. John Brown was also actively involved in the slave trade and business in China. He and his brothers had been instrumental in the founding of the later Brown University. From 1774 until his death was John Brown curator of that institution. From 1775 to 1796 he was also treasurer of the University. On June 17, 1772, he was involved in the destruction of the British ship Gaspee. This event added later with the outbreak of the War of Independence. After the incident, he was arrested and taken to Boston, where he was to be brought to justice. Thanks to his brother Moses to the use but was released.

In the years 1782 to 1784 was John Brown MP in the House of Representatives from Rhode Iceland. In 1784 he was elected to the Continental Congress, but without to take up his mandate there. Brown was a member of the Federalist Party. In the congressional elections of 1798, which were held all across the state, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington. There he took over from Thomas Tillinghast of the Democratic-Republican Party on March 4, 1799. By March 3, 1801 Brown but could do only one term in Congress, then the re-elected Tillinghast won back his former seat. After retiring from Congress Brown took his old work again. He died in September 1803 in his hometown of Providence.