William W. Brown (Wisconsin politician)
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William W. Brown | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Milwaukee 3rd district | |
| In office June 5, 1848 – January 1, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Julius White |
| Representative to the Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory from Milwaukee County | |
| In office January 4, 1847 – October 18, 1847 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel H. Barstow, John Crawford, James Magone, Benjamin H. Mooers, Luther Parker, and William H. Thomas (Milwaukee & Washington counties) |
| Succeeded by | Isaac P. Walker, James Holliday, and Asa Kinney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Albany, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 3, 1871 |
| Cause of death | Tuberculosis |
| Party | Whig |
| Nickname | "Double-head" |
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]
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]