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

Early Years in Wisconsin Territory

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

He served in the House of Representatives of the Wisconsin Territory for one term representing Milwaukee County in the first 1847 session.^[6] After statehood, he was elected in 1848 to the 3rd Milwaukee County Assembly district (the 3rd Ward of the City of Milwaukee). He was not a candidate for re-election in the 1848 fall election, and was succeeded by fellow Whig Julius White.^[7] Brown ran again for the Assembly in 1849 but was not successful, losing to Democrat Edward McGarry.^[8][9]

In 1851, he came in 7th out of 8 candidates for alderman in the Third Ward.^[10] He was successful in 1852, coming in first out of four candidates.^[11]

He was elected as a delegate to the 1852 Whig National Convention,^[12] and in 1852 was the Whig candidate for Sheriff of Milwaukee County.^[13]

Private life

In 1851, he was among the incorporators (along with Kilbourn, Upham and others) of the Milwaukee and Humboldt Plank Road Company.^[14]

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.^[15]

At the time of his death (of "quick consumption"), he was described as "well known through the State as a great wag".^[1]

References