Cause of death Pneumonia Name Owen Brown Nationality American Role College founder | Other names Squire Brown Parents Hanna Owen Religion Calvinist Children John Brown | |
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Born February 16th, 1771 Torrington, Connecticut, U.S.A Resting place Old Hudson Township Burying Ground
41°14′43″N 81°26′21″W / 41.24530°N 81.43920°W / 41.24530; -81.43920 Spouse(s) Ruth Mills (1793–1808)
Sally Root (1809–1840)
Lucy Hinsdale (1841–1865) Died May 8, 1856, Hudson, Ohio, United States Grandchildren Owen Brown, John Brown, Jr., Ellen Brown Residence Hudson, Ohio, United States, Connecticut Western Reserve, United States of America People also search for John Brown, Ruth Mills, Dianthe Lusk | ||
Owen Brown (February 16, 1771 – May 8, 1856), father of Abolitionist John Brown.
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Brown was a wealthy cattle breeder and land speculator who operated a successful tannery in Hudson, Ohio. He was also a stout and outspoken abolitionist and civil servant. Brown was a founder of multiple institutions including the Western Reserve Anti-Slavery Society, Western Reserve College (now Case Western Reserve University), and the Free Congressional Church. Brown gave speeches advocating the immediate abolition of slavery and facilitated the Underground Railroad.
Early life and education
One of 10 children, Owen Brown was born on February 16, 1771 to Revolutionary War Lieutenant John Brown and Hanna Owen Brown, in Torrington Connecticut. A lifetime admirer of the Founding Fathers, Owen's first memory was of the departure of his father's militia company to engage the British in New York during the summer of 1776.
Life in Hudson and the Abolitionist Movement
A wealthy tanner, cattle breeder and land speculator, Brown was a dedicated civil servant and was integral to Hudson, Ohio's growth and success. Famed for his resourcefulness and energy, he was known locally as Squire Brown. Brown served in a multitude of positions in the community including County Commissioner and Justice of the Peace. Owen was deeply rooted in the abolitionist movement. He was personal friends with leaders such as Frederick Douglass who often stayed with the Brown family when he was lecturing in the area. Owen, in collaboration with David Hudson was integral in establishing one of the earliest way stations along the Underground Railroad and personally arranged passage into Canada for many escaped slaves.
Colleges
Owen was a founding trustee of Western Reserve College and is credited for securing its location in Hudson as well as overseeing the construction of its first building. During Brown's tenure (1825-1835), Western Reserve College became known as a hotbed of abolitionist ideals. After the death of the institutions first president, Charles Backus Storrs, in 1833 the university elected a more conservative president, George E. Pierce in an attempt to distance itself from the politics of slavery. In 1835 Brown resigned his position and joined a large contingency of faculty, staff, and students of Western Reserve College who moved to Oberlin Collegiate Institute (now Oberlin College) where he served as Trustee from 1835 to 1844. Brown and others were successful in making Oberlin the first institution of higher learning to admit women and black students. Owen's own Daughter, Florilla Brown, graduated from Oberlin in 1839.