Born in Knox County, Ohio, May 3, 1833. The first twelve years of his life were spent at the place of his nativity, after which he accompanied his parents on their removal to Brooke County, West Virginia, where he resided until he attained his majority. He supplemented a public school education by study in Bethany College of West Virginia. Mr. Brown continued his education there for three years, pursuing a scientific course and graduating from that institution with the class of 1857. The following year he arrived in Washington county, Iowa, and entered upon the profession of teaching. After two years he was married on the 21st of August, 1860, to Miss Sarah Kinkade. They removed back to West Virginia, where they remained for three years, during winch period Mr. Brown was engaged in farming, but at the end of that time he returned with his family to Washington County, Iowa. He became prominently identified with business affairs. He figured prominently in financial circles for a number of years as one of the directors of the Washington County Savings Bank. Agriculture, however, claimed his attention throughout the greater part of his life and he found great pleasure and joy in improving and beautifying his property. In his political views Mr. Brown was a democrat, giving unfaltering support to the party until the birth of the Grange movement. He was elected upon the anti-monopoly ticket to represent Washington County in the state legislature, becoming a member of the fifteenth general assembly of Iowa. During his connection therewith he gave careful and earnest consideration to the questions which came up for settlement and stanchly supported all those measures which he believed to be of vital interest to the commonwealth. He took an equally active and helpful interest in religious work and for many years was a member of the Methodist church, leading the life of an earnest, consistent Christian.