William Robinson Brown
William Robinson Brown | |
---|---|
Born | Portland, Maine, U.S. | January 17, 1875
Died | August 4, 1955 Dublin, New Hampshire, U.S. | (aged 80)
Occupation(s) | Brown Company, Woods Division Manager |
Known for |
|
Spouse | Hildreth Burton Smith |
Children | 5, including Frances H. Townes (nee Brown) |
William Robinson "W. R. " Brown (January 17, 1875 – August 4, 1955) was an American corporate officer of the
After graduating from
Brown founded the Maynesboro Stud in 1912 with
Although Brown family members sold personal assets to keep the Brown Company afloat during the Great Depression, including Brown's dispersal of his herd of Arabian horses in 1933, the business went into receivership in 1934. Brown remained in charge of the Woods Division through the company's second bankruptcy filing in 1941. He retired from the company in 1943 and died of cancer in 1955. His final book, Our Forest Heritage, was published posthumously, and his innovations in forest management became industry standards.
Personal life
W. R. Brown was born in
Brown's family was strongly affiliated with Williams College; W. R. and his two older brothers Herbert ("H. J.") and Orton ("O. B.") all attended Williams, as did sons Fielding and Brenton.
Brown Company career
H. Winslow & Company, later called the Berlin Mills Company, was founded about 1853, and W. W. Brown purchased an interest in 1868.[13] In 1881, the company expanded from lumber into pulp and paper manufacturing.[14] W. W. Brown obtained a controlling interest in the company by 1888,[15] becoming, along with his older two sons, the sole owners by 1907.[13] The corporation's name was changed to the Brown Company in 1917, removing the word "Berlin" because of the conflict with Germany in World War I.[16]
W. R. Brown went to work for the company in 1897 after finishing college. His father, declaring he "wanted no kittens that couldn't catch mice," made W. R. find a job without family help. As a result, Brown started out selling the company's lumber in Portland, Maine, earning nine dollars a week. He was promoted, returned to Berlin, and after a second promotion became the sawmill's night superintendent. In that position, he developed a method of using exhaust steam to heat a pond that thawed and cleaned logs, speeding up mill production during the winter.
The Brown family was later described as "progressive and ... ahead of their times", and had innovative ideas about wood products manufacturing and scientific forest management.
Brown was influenced by the
During World War I, in his capacity as chair of the New England Forestry Commission, Brown worked with the War Industries Board to send 10 sawmills abroad. The equipment went to Scotland to meet Britain's need for lumber.[40] When the war effort in France subsequently required more than 73 million board feet of lumber per month,[41] Brown was commissioned as a major to oversee sawmill operations there, but ultimately was not allowed to serve in France because of his poor vision,[28] as he was partially blind in one eye.[3]
The Great Depression had a significant impact on the Brown Company. Berlin at that time had a population of about 20,000 people, most of whom either worked for the company or provided services to the families of company employees.[42] The Brown family had borrowed heavily during the 1920s to fund expansion, and, as stated by a company employee, had become "complacent and overly optimistic." The family's nepotism may also have become a disadvantage.[23] Reduced demand for the company's products forced it to take out short-term loans to provide operating capital,[16] and by 1931 the international financial situation led to major losses in the value of the company's bonds.[43][44] As a result, in the winter of 1931–32 the Brown Company could not obtain the necessary financing for its logging operations, when it normally needed to employ 4,000 to 5,000 loggers to cut timber each winter.[43] Family members sold off personal holdings to try to keep the company solvent, and W. R. Brown dispersed his entire herd of Arabian horses.[44] In 1933, he negotiated a cooperative financing plan with the City of Berlin and the State of New Hampshire, ratified by the state legislature, to fund the woods operations, keeping Berlin's local residents employed.[1][22] The company was nevertheless forced to file for bankruptcy in 1935,[16] after having gone into receivership the previous year.[43] A court-appointed president took over, but Brown continued as head of the Woods Division.[44] Brown's agreement with the City of Berlin lasted until 1941, when the company again filed for bankruptcy. Ultimately the Brown family ceased to have a significant role on the board of directors and the company was sold to outside investors.[43][45] Brown officially retired from the company in 1943,[8] but his brother O. B. remained on the board of directors until 1960.[16]
Arabian horse breeder
Brown bought his first
At its peak, Maynesboro was the largest Arabian stud farm in the United States.[52] In 1919, Brown had 88 horses, some at his main farm in New Hampshire, and others at farms he owned in Decorah, Iowa, and Cody, Wyoming.[53] He is credited as the breeder of 194 horses,[51] and became known as one of the most knowledgeable breeders and authorities on Arabians.[54] He served as President of the Arabian Horse Club of America, now part of the Arabian Horse Association, from 1918 until 1939.[55]
Foundation stock
As he built Maynesboro, Brown studied the pedigrees of almost every purebred Arabian in the US at the time. He believed the Arabian was actually a separate subspecies of horse,[55][56] a once-popular but now discredited theory.[57] He found that, even though developed in the desert, Arabians adapted well to the severe winter weather of his New England farm.[46]
When he started Maynesboro, Brown obtained his original
International purchases
Many American breeders had purchased horses from the Crabbet Stud, which at the time Brown founded Maynesboro was owned by
One of the most notable Crabbet-bred stallions Brown eventually kept at Maynesboro was *Astraled, who had come to America in 1909. This horse had been sold by Wilfrid Blunt to an American buyer from Massachusetts, but after siring only two purebred foals in New England, was sold to the remount, shipped west, and lived in obscurity in Oregon, where he sired no purebred Arabian offspring. *Astraled was ultimately obtained by Brown in 1923, who shipped the aged horse by rail from Idaho to New Hampshire. *Astraled only sired one foal crop at Maynesboro, but that group of foals included his most notable American-bred son, Gulastra.[68]
Brown traveled to Europe with the U.S. Army Remount Service in 1921, visiting a number of major European studs in Austria, France, and Hungary. He met Lady Wentworth at Crabbet on the way home, but did not purchase any of her horses.[67] He imported several Arabian mares from France in 1921 and 1922,[66] in part owing to France's reputation for producing excellent cavalry horses.[69]
In 1929, Brown traveled to Egypt and Syria with Arabian expert Carl Raswan in search of desertbred horses. According to Brown's wife, the two apparently did not get along well, and the five horses purchased during their journey somehow never made it to America. Following that trip, Brown wrote The Horse of the Desert, still considered to be one of the best works written about the Arabian horse.[67]
In 1932, Brown sent his stud manager Jack Humphrey to Egypt, where acting for Brown he bought two stallions and four mares from Prince Mohammed Ali.[70] The Prince was known as a horseman and scholar, publishing a two-volume treatise on the breeding of Arabian horses. Two of the mares purchased were daughters of Mahroussa, whom Brown described as "the most beautiful mare he ever saw".[71] The stallions were *Nasr, a successful race horse, and *Zarife.[72]
Endurance testing and remounts
Brown was a remount agent,
In 1918, Brown set up a test ride in which he had two of his horses travel from Berlin to
Following the 1918 test, Brown helped organize the first U.S. Official Cavalry Endurance Ride in 1919, which was won by his mare Ramla, who carried 200 pounds (91 kg).
Brown used Arabian stallions owned by the remount service as breeding animals,
Dispersal
Brown sold all his horses in 1933[79] in an attempt to raise funds to keep the Brown Company solvent.[80] They were bought by the Kellogg Ranch, Roger Selby, William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon Stud,[79] and "General" J. M. Dickinson of Traveler's Rest Stud, who acquired most of the horses from Brown's 1932 importation from Egypt.[53] Dickinson in turn sold *Zarife to Wayne Van Vleet of Colorado in 1939,[72] and Azkar, the last foal bred by Brown,[8] to a ranch in Texas. There Azkar was left to fend for himself on the open range as a herd stallion, but, a testament to the hardiness of Brown's Arabians, he survived and was returned to the Arabian breeding world by Henry Babson. Dickinson sold the mare *Aziza to Alice Payne, who later owned *Raffles.[81]
Legacy
Brown believed it was important to preserve the scenic value of New Hampshire's forests.[25] Between 1903 and 1911, he helped with efforts to establish White Mountain National Forest.[19] Among his many civic activities, Brown promoted early legislative efforts to protect public riding trails.[55] He also helped New Hampshire acquire Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch as public lands,[9] and established a river conservation group in Quebec.[34]
A scholar of the Arabian horse, he collected a significant library of works on the breed, one of the largest collections in the United States. His papers are now kept by the Arabian Horse Owners Foundation (AHOF).[67] Today, the term "CMK", meaning "Crabbet/Maynesboro/Kellogg", is a label for specific lines of "Domestic" or "American-bred" Arabian horses. It describes the descendants of horses imported to America from the desert or from Crabbet Park Stud in the late 1800s and early 1900s and then bred on in the US by the Hamidie Society, Huntington, Borden, Davenport, Brown, W. K. Kellogg, Hearst, or Dickinson.[79]
Bibliography
Brown authored the following works:
- — (1929). The Horse of the Desert (1st ed.). Derrydale Press.
- — (1958). Our Forest Heritage: A History of Forestry and Recreation in New Hampshire. Derrydale Press. OCLC 2197078. Published posthumously.
Notes
- ^ Now the State Forest Management Program of the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands, New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development[36]
- ^ An asterisk before the name of an Arabian horse indicates that the horse was imported to the United States.[58]
- ^ This was $13,000.00 in 1918 dollars.[65] This amount is equivalent to about £138,000 as of 2011,[65] comparing the historic opportunity cost of £2727 in 1918 with 2011, using the GDP deflator.
- ^ Brown had begun corresponding with Lady Anne in 1916, and respected her love and knowledge of the Arabian horse, describing her favorably as "a true scientist". In 1921, Brown established correspondence with Lady Wentworth, and the two exchanged more than 35 letters over the course of several years. But he did not like her as well as he liked Lady Anne, finding it difficult to get Lady Wentworth to provide a straightforward assessment of her stock. He was frustrated by her excessively favorable descriptions of her horses combined with her harsh criticism of everyone else's. He believed she was simply trying to sell him as many horses as possible and that her prices were too high.[67]
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Churchill 1955, p. 3.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011a, 0:04:52.
- ^ a b Steen 2012, p. 44.
- ^ Gove 1986, p. 85.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011a, 0:04:55.
- ^ a b "Hildreth Brown". The Petersborough Transcript. August 2, 1984. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
- ^ a b c Churchill 1955, p. 11.
- ^ a b c d Steen 2012, p. 51.
- ^ a b c d e f "William R. Brown, 80, fire tower pioneer, Williams man, dies" (PDF). The North Adams, Massachusetts, Transcript. August 5, 1955. p. 11.
- ^ Brown, Fielding. "About the artist". Retrieved September 11, 2012.
- ^
Townes, Frances (2007). Misadventures of a Scientist's Wife. Regent Press. OCLC 156822471.
- ^ "Certificates issued". Portsmouth Herald. December 11, 1924. p. 9.
- ^ a b Defebaugh, James Elliott (1907). History of the Lumber Industry of America. Vol. 2. American Lumbermen. p. 70.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011a, 7:08.
- ^ Gove 1986, p. 83.
- ^ a b c d e f Rule, John. "The Brown Company: From north country sawmill to world's leading paper producer" (PDF). Beyond Brown Paper. Plymouth State University, New Hampshire Historical Society. Retrieved August 26, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Gove 1986, p. 86.
- ^ Gove 1986, pp. 87, 90.
- ^ a b c d e f Gove 1986, p. 87.
- ^ Gove 1986, p. 89.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011a, 0:04:15.
- ^ a b c Rule, Rebecca. "It Felt Like Death". North Country Stories. Monadnock Institute, Franklin Pierce University. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ a b c Gove 1986, p. 90.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011a, 0:07:00.
- ^ a b Upham-Bornstein 2011a, 0:01:06.
- ^ "Protecting the forest". Museum of the White Mountains. Plymouth State University. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011a, 0:07:58.
- ^ a b c d e Churchill 1955, p. 10.
- ^ "The life and times of W.R. Brown". Center for Rural Partnerships. Plymouth State University. 2011. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011b, 0:01:26.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011a, 8:43.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011b, 0:01:42.
- ^ "2011 NHTOA Centennial Celebration". NH Timberland Owner's Association. 2011. Archived from the original on December 11, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ a b Upham-Bornstein 2011b, 0:02:26.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011b, 0:00:05.
- ^ "State Forest Management Program". NH Division of Forests and Lands. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ Brown, William E. Jr (June 1985). "Guide to the William Robinson Brown papers" (pdf). William Robinson Brown Papers. Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011b, 0:00:21.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011b, 0:03:30.
- ^ Report of Forestry Commission. New Hampshire Forestry Commission. 1918. pp. 27–31. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ Greeley, W.B. (June 1919). "The American Lumberjack in France". American Forestry. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- ^ Rule, Rebecca (June 11, 2012). "A Brief History of the Brown Paper Company". Northern Woodlands. Center for Northern Woodlands Education. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Upham-Bornstein, Linda. "Berlin history". Berlin, New Hampshire. City of Berlin, NH. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ a b c Upham-Bornstein 2011b, 0:04:40.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011b, 0:06:08.
- ^ a b Steen 2012, p. 49.
- ^ a b Edwards 1973, p. 53.
- ^ Steen 2012, p. 45.
- ^ Leclerc, Donald (November 2, 2011). "Brown Company barns restoration project". News Letter Fall 2011. Berlin and Coös County Historical Society. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
- ^ "About us". Berlin and Coös County Historical Society. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ a b c Leclerc, Donald (November 3, 2012). "Maynesboro Stud memorial ride". News Letter Fall 2012. Berlin and Coös County Historical Society. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ Conn 1972, p. 172.
- ^ a b c Conn 1972, p. 194.
- ^ Forbis 1976, p. 199.
- ^ a b c d e f Steen 2012, p. 48.
- ^ "Standard conformation and type" (published online 2011-03-23). The Arabian Stud Book. Arabian Horse Club Registry of America (now Arabian Horse Association). 1918. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ Edwards 1973, p. 27.
- ^ Magid, Arlene (2009). "How to Read a Pedigree". arlenemagid.com. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- ^ a b Steen 2012, p. 46.
- ^ Edwards 1973, pp. 52–53.
- ^ Edwards 1973, pp. 51–53.
- ^ Conn 1972, p. 191.
- ^
Wentworth, Judith Anne Dorothea Blunt-Lytton (1979). The Authentic Arabian Horse (3rd ed.). George Allen & Unwin. pp. 76–82. OCLC 59805184.
- ^ Steen 2012, pp. 46–47.
- ^ a b Officer, Lawrence H. (2009). "Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present". MeasuringWorth. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- ^ a b Edwards 1973, pp. 55–56.
- ^ a b c d e Steen 2012, p. 50.
- ^ a b c Edwards 1973, p. 51.
- ^ Cadranell, R.J. (Summer 1989). "The double registered Arabians". The CMK Record. VIII (I). Republished by CMK Arabians, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ Steen 2012, pp. 47–48.
- ^ Forbis 1976, pp. 198–199.
- ^ a b Edwards 1973, p. 60.
- ^ Steen 2012, pp. 50–51.
- ^ Churchill 1955, pp. 10–11.
- ^ Edwards 1973, pp. 60–61.
- ^ "Arabian horses prove fit. Complete severe endurance test under service conditions" (PDF). New York Times. October 6, 1918. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Arabians in the U.S. Army? You bet!". Arabian Horse History & Heritage. Arabian Horse Association. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ a b Edwards 1973, p. 52.
- ^ a b c Kirkman, Mary (2012). "Domestic Arabians". Arabian Horse Bloodlines. Arabian Horse Association. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ Upham-Bornstein 2011b, 0:04:58.
- ^ Cadranell, R.J. (Nov–Dec 1996). "*Aziza & *Roda". Arabian Visions. Republished by CMK Arabians, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
Sources
- Churchill, P. W. (1955). "W. R. Brown: Modern pioneer" (PDF). The Brown Bulletin. 4 (2): 3, 10–11.
- Conn, George H. (1972) [1957]. The Arabian Horse in America. A. S. Barnes and Company. OCLC 2650806.
- Edwards, Gladys Brown (1973). The Arabian: War Horse to Show Horse (Revised Collector's ed.). Rich Publishing. OCLC 1148763.
- Forbis, Judith (1976). The Classic Arabian Horse. W. W. Norton & Company. OCLC 1945650.
- Gove, William G. (April 1986). "New Hampshire's Brown Company and Its World-Record Sawmill". Journal of Forest History. 30 (2). Forest History Society and American Society for Environmental History: 82–91. S2CID 131496375.
- Steen, Andrew S. (Summer 2012). "W. R. Brown's Maynesboro Stud" (PDF). Modern Arabian Horse (4). Arabian Horse Association: 44–51. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2012.
- Upham-Bornstein, Linda (2011a). DeGrandprem, Nicole (ed.). The life and times of WR Brown Part 1 (Online video). Plymouth State College: Center for Rural Partnerships.
- Upham-Bornstein, Linda (2011b). DeGrandprem, Nicole (ed.). The life and times of WR Brown Part 2 (Online video). Plymouth State College: Center for Rural Partnerships.