Corydon Partlow Brown
Encyclopedia
Corydon Partlow Brown was a Canadian
politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
and a member of the provincial cabinet under Premier John Norquay
.
Brown was born in Southampton, New Brunswick
in 1848, training as a civil engineer
before moving west and homesteading 320 acres (two quarter-sections) in the area of what is now Gladstone
, Manitoba
. He worked as a surveyor
, then opened a number of businesses and became a railroad director. In 1874 he ran for the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the riding of Westbourne
. Following his election he found himself allied with Norquay, a non-partisan moderate. When Norquay became premier of a coalition government in 1878, Brown was offered a cabinet position as Provincial Secretary; two years later, he was named Minister of Public Works.
One of Brown's most important tasks during his time at Public Works was to convince the serving Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald
, that the future of Manitoba depended on the issuing of railway charters (disallowed by Ottawa). He also presided over the construction of roads and the drainage of much of Manitoba's swampland. His duties were hampered by attacks by Liberal
partisans and the Winnipeg Free Press
, both of which called him a "boodle
politician", and by lack of support on the part of Norquay and his other allies. Brown was eventually demoted back to Provincial Secretary before retiring from the cabinet. In 1888, he failed to secure the nomination for Westbourne for the Conservative
party. He died in Winnipeg
in 1891 at the age of 43 of pneumonia
.
Brown was married twice, first to Emma Davidson of Gladstone, then to Jennie Davidson (Emma's younger sister). He had six children.
Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg was named after Corydon Partlow Brown.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
and a member of the provincial cabinet under Premier John Norquay
John Norquay
John Norquay was the Premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. He was born near St. Andrews in what was then the Red River Colony, making him the first Premier of Manitoba to have been born in the region....
.
Brown was born in Southampton, New Brunswick
Southampton, New Brunswick
Southampton is a Canadian rural community in York County, New Brunswick.The community is located south of Southampton Junction, a station located within the village of Millville, created when the New Brunswick Railway was constructed in the 1870s....
in 1848, training as a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
before moving west and homesteading 320 acres (two quarter-sections) in the area of what is now Gladstone
Gladstone, Manitoba
Gladstone is a town in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is located on the Yellowhead Highway at the intersection with Highway 34 within the boundaries of the Rural Municipality of Westbourne...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. He worked as a surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, then opened a number of businesses and became a railroad director. In 1874 he ran for the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the riding of Westbourne
Westbourne, Manitoba
Westbourne is a rural municipality in the province of Manitoba in Western Canada. The separately administered town of Gladstone lies within its borders.-External links:*...
. Following his election he found himself allied with Norquay, a non-partisan moderate. When Norquay became premier of a coalition government in 1878, Brown was offered a cabinet position as Provincial Secretary; two years later, he was named Minister of Public Works.
One of Brown's most important tasks during his time at Public Works was to convince the serving Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
, that the future of Manitoba depended on the issuing of railway charters (disallowed by Ottawa). He also presided over the construction of roads and the drainage of much of Manitoba's swampland. His duties were hampered by attacks by Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
partisans and the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
, both of which called him a "boodle
Boodle
Boodle, or boodler, was a bar-room or street term for money or booty applied by the yellow press to members of the New York Board of Aldermen who were charged with accepting bribes in connection with the granting of a franchise for a street railroad on Broadway...
politician", and by lack of support on the part of Norquay and his other allies. Brown was eventually demoted back to Provincial Secretary before retiring from the cabinet. In 1888, he failed to secure the nomination for Westbourne for the Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
party. He died in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
in 1891 at the age of 43 of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
Brown was married twice, first to Emma Davidson of Gladstone, then to Jennie Davidson (Emma's younger sister). He had six children.
Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg was named after Corydon Partlow Brown.