Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/464

BROWN.BROWN. BROWN, George, naval oflficer. was born in Indiana. June l9. 1835. At tlio ap:e of fourteen he joined the navy as midshipman and made his first cruise on the Cumberland. After two years' service on this vessel he was transferred to the St. lAiwrence. He received promotion to IKissed mitlshipman, June 12, 1855, and in Sep- temlter of t lie s;ime year became master. In 1856 he was proint)ted lieutenant, and for four years was with the African and Brazilian squadrons. He served in IsiJO on the PoirJiafan on special -ervice, and was transferred in 1861 to the gun- lK«t Octorora, the flagship of Commodore Por- ter's mortar flotilla. He accompanied Admiral Farragut when he opened up the Mississippi river, and was present at the engagement at Vicksburg in June. 1862, receiving commenda- tion in the official report. The following month he was ordered to blockade duty off Wilming- ton. N. C, attached to the Octorora, and was promoted lieutenant-commander July 16, 1862. He then commanded the Indianola, an ironclad of the Mississippi squadron, and after passing the Confederate batteries at Vicksburg and War- renton he, on Feb. 24, 1863, engaged four of the enemy's gunboats, manned by one thousand men. The Indianola held her own bravely for ninety minutes, but the tremendous odds against lier forced her commander, who was severely wounded, to surrender. On being exchanged, a few months later, he took command of the Ita.fca. He rendered good service in the action of Mobile bay, Aug. 5, 1864, and in the opera- tions against the defences of that city, March and April, 1865. He was given the rank of com- mander July 25, 1866. and, after a j-ear of service in the navy yard at Washington, was for a time commander of an ironclad man-of-war, which the Japanese had bouglit from the United States, he having obtained leave of absence for the purpose. He was promoted to the rank of Captain, April 25, 1877; to that of commodore, Sept. 4, 1887; was made a rear-admiral. Sept. 27, 1893, and was retired June 19, 1897. He was commmandant of the Norfolk navy yard, 1886-97, and after his retirement made his home in In- dianapolis, Ind.

BROWN, George Loring, painter, was born in Breton. Mass.. Feb. 2, 1814. Wlien a lad he amused him.self with his pencil, and so clever were the sketches that he was advised to make a study of art. As a beginning he entered the office of a wor»d -engraver, and derived much j>ractical help from his work tliere. He made very acceptable drawings which were used to illustrate children's stories in magazines. He attended the Franklin school for a time, and there was awarded a medal for drawing. Up to this time he had confined himself to black and white, but after visiting the studios of various artists lie made .some attempts with colors, and painted a landscape in which an artist friend saw not a little merit. Mr. Cusliman, a gentle- man of wealth and benevolence in Boston, took an interest in the young man and offered to send him to Europe. Modestly asking for one hundred dollars, the budding artist started out. Seventy-five dollars of this paid his expenses to Antwerp, and he would have fared poorly had not an American friend in London given him necessary assistance. On his return to America, at the end of two years, he was able to earn enough by his pictures to pay for instruction from Washington Allston. He studied under the best instructors of Europe, and, from 1840 to 1860. followed his profes- sion in Antwerp, Rome, Florence, Paris, and London. Among the more noteworthy of his pictures are: "The Bay of New York " (1860); " The Crown of New England " (1861); " Niag- ara by Moonlight" (1876); "Capri" (1878); " Doge's Palace at Sunset" (1881); "Sunrise, Venice" (1882); "Doge's Palace at Sunrise" (1885); " Palermo," " Atrani, " " Bay of Naples," "Fountain of Trevi," "A Moonlight Scene," " Arriccia near Rome," and "Sunset; Genoa." The Prince of W^ales during his visit to Ajiierica was presented with "The Bay of New York" by a few New York merchants, and afterwards purchased the "Crown of New England." Mr. Brown died in Maiden. Mass., June 25, 1889.

BROWN, George William, jurist, was born in 1815. In 1860 he was nominated as a reform can- didate for mayor of Baltimore against the regular nominee of the Know-Nothing party, and was elected. During his administration the 6th Massachusetts regiment was assaulted in the streets of Baltimore, April 19, 1861. When the detachment arrived, fearing trouble from the angry mob, Mayor Brown rode beside the com- manding officer through the city, and saw the troops safely in the cars at Camden station. He was later imprisoned, with members of the Mary- land state legislature, in Fort McHenry, Fort Warren, Fort Monroe and Fort Lafayette. From 1872 to 1888 he served as chief judge of the supreme bench of Maryland, the age limitation having been removed by the legislature to enable him to serve out his term. In 1885 he was nominated as reform candidate for mayor, and claimed to have been elected, but was counted out. He was the author of " The Rela- tion of the Legal Profession to Society " (1868) , " Address to the Medical Graduates of the Uni- versity of Maryland " (1872); " Baltimore and the 19th of April, 1861," and "A Study of the War " (1887). He died at Lake Mohonk, N. Y.. Sept. 6, 1890.