Nicholas Brown, Jr.

Nicholas Brown Jr. (April 4, 1769 – September 27, 1841) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Providence, Rhode Island, and the namesake of Brown University. Early life Brown was the son of Rhoda Jenckes (1741–1783) and Nicholas Brown Sr. (1729–1791), a merchant and co-founder of Brown University (which was then called College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations). He was the nephew of John Brown (1736–1803) and Moses Brown (1738–1836) and a descendant of English colonist and Baptist minister Chad Brown (c. 1600–1650), who co-founded Providence. His maternal grandfather was Daniel Jenckes (1701–1774), a judge from a prominent family. Career Both Nicholas Brown Jr. and his father were members of and large donors to the First Baptist Church in America. Brown Jr. graduated from the College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1786. After the death of his father, he created the company of Brown & Ives with his future brother-in-law Thomas Poynton Ives, and served in the state legislature as a Federalist.