Home › B › Brown (NICHOLAS an American merchant)

Brown (NICHOLAS an American merchant)

NICHOLAS, an American merchant, born in Providence, R. I., April 4, 1769; best known as the chief patron of Brown University. In honor of his gifts, which exceeded $100,000, the name of the institution was changed, in 1804, from Rhode Island College to Brown University. He gave also magnificent sums to other public institutions of Providence. He died Oct. 27, 1841, BROWN (or BROWNE), ROBERT, founder of an English religious sect first called Brownists, and afterward Independents, was born about 1540, and studied at Cambridge, where, in 1580, he began openly to attack the government and liturgy of the Church of England as anti-Christian. He was excommunicated, but was reinstated, and held a church living for over 40 years, dying in 1633. The sect of Brownists soon spread, and a bill was brought into Parliament which inflicted on them very severe pains and penalties. In process of time, the Brownists merged into Congregationalists. BROWN