Honorable George T. Brown (1820-1880)
Attorney; Founder of the Alton Courier
Mayor of Alton; Friend to Lovejoy
Another prominent citizen of Alton, one who in former years
filled a prominent place in the affairs of the city and State, has
passed away. Last Thursday morning, Hon. George T. Brown breathed
his last after a lingering illness. He was born in Scotland, January
26, 1820, and was therefore in the 61st year of his age. He
immigrated to Canada in 1833 with his father’s family, and settled
in Alton in the Fall of 1834. When a youth, he learned the printer’s
trade, afterwards studied law with the Hon. Lyman Trumbull, and
practiced his profession until about 1850, when he founded, in
connection with others, the Alton Daily and Weekly Courier, which he
carried on until 1860. He filled many offices of honor and trust.
In early manhood (1846-1847), he was elected Mayor of Alton, and was
a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1848. In 1861, he was
elected Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate, and served in
that important and honorable position for over eight years. During
the Civil War, he was one of the most prominent officials in
Washington, and was entrusted by the government with many important
missions. During that period, he wielded great power and influence,
and was the depositary of important State secrets. He had charge of
the funeral train which conveyed the remains of President Lincoln
from Washington to Springfield in April 1865. Since his retirement
from office, he has lived in Alton.
Mr. Brown was a man of genial manners and generous impulses. He
possessed great natural ability. His career was a distinguished one.
During his residence in Alton, he was foremost in all public
enterprises, and he left a lasting impress on the growth and
prosperity of the city. The Alton Gas Works, for instance, was the
result of his enterprise and energy, he being the original builder
and proprietor. In his early life, Mr. Brown was a Democrat, but in
1854, in company with Trumbull and other distinguished men, he
became a Free Soiler, and subsequently a Republican. He was long
prominent in State politics, and exerted a wide influence. From 1855
to 1860, he was the acknowledged leader of the Republican Party in
Southern Illinois.
Mr. Brown was never married. Among his surviving relatives are Hon.
Joseph Brown of St. Louis [his brother], Mrs. J. R. Stanford of
Alton, and Mrs. B. F. Child of Hardin. The funeral took place from
the Presbyterian Church. A number of relatives, friends, and fellow
citizens of the deceased turned aside from the busy scenes of life
to pay the last sad tribute of respect to the departed. Dr.
Armstrong then read a sketch of the life of the deceased, and made
some appropriate remarks. The pallbearers were Messrs. J. W.
Schweppe, Abraham Breath, H. C. Sweetser, C. A. Murray, J. W. Ash,
John Burton, M. H. Topping, Henry Guest McPike, Joseph Machin, and
J. A. Cousley. A large procession followed the remains to the City
Cemetery.
NOTES:
George T. Brown was born on January 26, 1820 in Scotland. He was the
son of Thomas Brown (?-1838). Thomas Brown died in 1838, and was
buried in the Alton City Cemetery.
George Brown had a younger brother, Joseph, who was born in
Jedburgh, Scotland, in 1823. Joseph moved with the family to Alton,
where at the age of sixteen (in 1837), spent the day of Lovejoy’s
murder molding bullets for the defenders of the press, which
included his brother, George. Joseph was elected mayor of Alton from
1856-1857. During his term, he successfully expanded the railroad
from Alton to Chicago. Joseph was also elected mayor of St. Louis,
1871-1875. He helped create a temporary city hall and the Taxpayers’
League, which was to “aid in securing honesty, economy, and
efficiency in the administration of municipal and public affairs.”
Joseph passed legislature that created legislature during his term
in the Missouri State Senate, that created Forest Park,
O’FallonPark, and Carondelet Park, and helped administer the
completion of the Eads Bridge.Joseph was also a leading river pilot
in his day, going by the name of “Captain Joe.” Joseph died in St.
Louis on December 3, 1899, and was buried in the Alton City
Cemetery. Surviving was a wife, Virginia Keach Brown, and two
daughters.
George T. Brown was a friend to Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy, who was
persecuted for his anti-slavery views, and publishing them in his
newspaper, The Observer. George was one of 20 men who stood by Rev.
Elijah P. Lovejoy on the night of his murder in Alton, November 7,
1837.
Sources:
Alton Telegraph, June 17, 1880
Find A Grave; Wikipedia
History of Madison County, 1882