John Carter Brown

For the former director of the U.S. National Gallery of Art, seeJ. Carter Brown.

John Carter Brown
Born	1797(1797)
Died	June 11, 1874(1874-06-11)(aged 76–77) Providence, Rhode Island,US
Alma mater	Brown University
Occupation	Book collector
Spouse	Sophia Augusta Brown ​ ​ (m.1859)​
Children	John Harold Sophia
Father	Nicholas Brown Jr.
Relatives	Nicholas Brown Sr.(grandfather) John Carter(grandfather)
Signature

John Carter Brown II(1797 – June 11, 1874) was a book collector whose library formed the basis of theJohn Carter Brown LibraryatBrown University.

Early life

John Carter Brown II was born in 1797, the youngest of three surviving children born toNicholas Brown Jr.(1769–1841), the namesake patron ofBrown University,and Ann Carter, daughter ofJohn Carter,a prominent printer in Providence.His grandfather wasNicholas Brown Sr.(1729–1791), brother ofJohn Brown,Moses Brown,andJoseph Brown,merchants, active in Rhode Island politics, who brought the College of Rhode Island to Providence in 1771.

During his upbringing, he was taught philanthropy and public leadership by his father and his uncles who were involved with such work. He attended Brown University (renamed in honor of a gift made by his father in 1804) and graduated in 1816.His graduation oration was on "The Revolution of Empires."

Career

In 1822, John Carter Brown was sent to Europe as a super-cargo for Brown & Ives. After being shipwrecked in France, he turned the business trip into a two-year grand tour. Dr. Benjamin Carter, his uncle, was an important influence in introducing John Carter Brown to "the great subject," the interaction between the old and new worlds.

Bookplate (exlibris) of John Carter Brown

After his father's death in 1841, John Carter Brown had the freedom to withdraw from Brown & Ives affairs and to develop his passion for books. In fact, he was continuing a family tradition as his ancestors had been buying books since 1749, helping to found the Providence Library in 1758 and 83 years later, theProvidence Athenaeum.In 1846, he bought his elder brother's collection of books on the Americas and began purchasing books in Europe, using Henry Stevens as his agent. The same year, he bought the collection of FrenchmanHenri Ternaux.When his collection became too large, he expanded his house, theNightingale-Brown House,by adding a modern fireproof library; he also hired a full-time librarian, John Russell Bartlett, to manage the collection and produce its first catalogue.

In 1846, he became the first American to join theHakluyt Societyas a charter member, and in 1855, he was elected a member of theAmerican Antiquarian Society.In 1852, he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Brown University.

Personal life

Brown's daughter,Sophia Augusta Brown(1867–1947), second wife ofWilliam Watts Sherman,circa 1914

In 1859, at the age of 62, he married Sophia Augusta Brown (1825–1909),a descendant ofRoger Williams(1603–1683). Together, they had:

• John Nicholas Brown I(1861–1900), who married Natalie Bayard Dresser (1869–1950)
• Harold Brown(1863–1900),who married Georgette Wetmore Sherman (1872–1960), daughter ofWilliam Watts Sherman(1842–1912) by his first wife, in 1892,and niece of Sen.George Peabody Wetmore.
• Sophia Augusta Brown(1867–1947), who marriedWilliam Watts Sherman(1842–1912) in 1885, after the death of his first wife in 1884.

He died on June 11, 1874, at 77 years of age.The bulk of his estate, besides a $50,000 (equivalent to $1,346,471 in 2023 dollars) donation to Brown, was left to his children. The trustees were his wife, Robert H. Ives, Thomas P. I. Goddard, and George W. R. Matteson.In 1876, his wife had a cottage in Newport onBellevue Avenue.

Philanthropy

In addition to gladly sharing his books, he still continued to make contributions toBrown University,Butler Hospital,and theRhode Island Hospital.He played major roles in Anti-Slavery campaigns, he became President of theEmigrant Aid Society.Before his death, he was able to amass a collection of 7,500 books.When his oldest son died in 1900, his well-collected books were granted toBrown Universitywith an endowment and a building.

Descendants

He was the grandfather ofJohn Nicholas Brown II(1900-1979),Assistant Secretary of the Navy,and great-grandfather ofJ. Carter Brown III(1934-2002), director of theNational Gallery of Art.

External links

• History of the John Carter Brown library,retrieved March 15, 2008