Charles Brown (congressman)
Encyclopedia
Charles Brown was a Democratic
member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
.
. In early boyhood moved with his father to Cumberland County, New Jersey
, and resided near Bridgeton, New Jersey
. He was an officer in the State militia from 1817 to 1819. He served as town clerk of Dover Township, New Jersey (now Toms River Township
), in 1819, and taught school at Dividing Creek, New Jersey, in 1820 and 1821. He returned to Philadelphia in 1823 and engaged in the cordwood business.
in 1830 and 1831. He served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from 1830 to 1833, and was a delegate to the convention to revise the constitution of Pennsylvania from 1834 to 1838. He served in the Pennsylvania State Senate
from 1838 to 1841.
Congress. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1842
. He served as president of the State convention to nominate candidates for the board of canal commissioners in 1843, and was a member of the board of commissioners for Northern Liberties Township, Pennsylvania
, in 1843. He was again elected to the Thirtieth
Congress. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1848
.
, in 1861 and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He served as town commissioner of Dover in 1864 and 1865. He was a delegate to the Union National Convention at Philadelphia in 1866. He served as president of the board of trustees of the Dover public schools from 1871 to 1878, and died at Dover in 1883. His mortal remains were interred at the Laurel Hill Cemetery
in Philadelphia.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Early life
Charles Brown was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. In early boyhood moved with his father to Cumberland County, New Jersey
Cumberland County, New Jersey
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population is 156,898. Its county seat is Bridgeton. Cumberland County is named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland....
, and resided near Bridgeton, New Jersey
Bridgeton, New Jersey
Bridgeton is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States, in the south part of the state, on the Cohansey River, near Delaware Bay. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 25,349. It is the county seat of Cumberland County...
. He was an officer in the State militia from 1817 to 1819. He served as town clerk of Dover Township, New Jersey (now Toms River Township
Toms River, New Jersey
Toms River is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Toms River Township and is the county seat of Ocean County, New Jersey. It is part of a larger Toms River Township...
), in 1819, and taught school at Dividing Creek, New Jersey, in 1820 and 1821. He returned to Philadelphia in 1823 and engaged in the cordwood business.
Pennsylvania state service
He was appointed a director of the Philadelphia public schools in 1828, and served as a member of the Philadelphia City CouncilPhiladelphia City Council
The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number...
in 1830 and 1831. He served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
from 1830 to 1833, and was a delegate to the convention to revise the constitution of Pennsylvania from 1834 to 1838. He served in the Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...
from 1838 to 1841.
United States House of Representatives
Brown was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-seventh27th United States Congress
The Twenty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1841 to March 3, 1843, during the one-month...
Congress. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1842
United States House election, 1842
The U.S. House election, 1842 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1842.Just one election cycle after the Whig Party gained control of Congress, they lost their majority. Whig president William Henry Harrison died within a month of taking office and his successor, John...
. He served as president of the State convention to nominate candidates for the board of canal commissioners in 1843, and was a member of the board of commissioners for Northern Liberties Township, Pennsylvania
Northern Liberties Township, Pennsylvania
Northern Liberties Township is a defunct township that was located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. The township ceased to exist and was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia after the passage of the Act of Consolidation, 1854.-History:...
, in 1843. He was again elected to the Thirtieth
30th United States Congress
The Thirtieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1849, during the last two years of...
Congress. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1848
United States House election, 1848
Elections to the United States House of Representatives were held in 1848.The Democrats gained three seats, regaining the majority they had lost to the Whigs just two years earlier in the election of 1846....
.
Later life
He was a member of the board of inspectors of the Eastern State Penitentiary from 1851 to 1853, and was collector of customs at the port of Philadelphia from 1853 to 1857. He was also member of the board of guardians of the poor of Philadelphia in 1860. He moved to Dover, DelawareDover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
, in 1861 and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He served as town commissioner of Dover in 1864 and 1865. He was a delegate to the Union National Convention at Philadelphia in 1866. He served as president of the board of trustees of the Dover public schools from 1871 to 1878, and died at Dover in 1883. His mortal remains were interred at the Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the second major garden or rural cemetery in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, one of only a few cemeteries to receive the distinction....
in Philadelphia.