Hon. Edmund H. Brown, the subject of this sketch, was born in Fisherville, now Penacook, a part of Concord, N.H., October 29, 1857. He is the youngest son of Henry Hayes and Lucretia (Symonds) Brown, and traces his ancestry directly back to the early Pilgrim settlers. The late Henry H. Brown, father of Edmund H., conducted an extensive manufacturing business in Penacook for many years, and was one of the most enterprising citizens and prominent residents of that village in his day.
Edmund H. Brown was educated at the Penacook Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston. After completing his studies he entered the works of the Concord Axle Company, and, having applied his efforts to a thorough mastery of every branch of these extensive works, fitted himself for the responsible position which he assumed in 1887, that of General Superintendent. He was one of the incorporators of this company, and is a member of the Board of Directors. Aside from his connection with the axle works, he was one of the organizers of and Director in the Penacook Electric Light Company, and was instrumental in giving to his
Early in the spring of 1897 he became associated with Mr. Charles E. Foote in the well-known house of Foote, Brown & Co., having purchased a half – interest from Mr. Stewart I. Brown. This firm carries one of the largest and best selected stocks of general merchandise to be found in the county, enjoys an enviable reputation for honesty and fair dealing, and stands high in its connections in the business world.
Mr. Brown inherited from his father those sterling qualities that go toward making the useful and respected man of affairs, and no member of the community is held in higher esteem by all classes than he.
In politics he has been an earnest supporter of the Republican party from the day he became a voter, and has served the party zealously in his ward organization and upon the State Committee, of which he was a member from 1887 to 1893. As a candidate for the House of Representatives in 1892, he contributed his full share toward successfully redeeming his ward; and as a member of that body he acquired a wide reputation as a well-informed man, and won many friends by his marked social attainments. At the Republican convention in 1894 he received a unanimous nomination for Senator in the Eleventh Senatorial District, and at the subsequent election was handsomely elected as the first Republican from that district. He was a prominent member and earnest worker in that honorable body, and served faithfully the interests of a large constituency.
In religious and educational matters Mr. Brown has always taken an active interest. He joined the First Baptist Church, Penacook, at the age of fifteen, and has become one of its most influential members. He was President of the New Hampshire Baptist State Convention in 1893. He is a Trustee of Colby Academy, New London, and a member of the New Hampshire Historical Society.
Mr. Brown is a thirty-second degree Mason. He is a Past Master of Horace Chase Lodge, No. 72, F. & A. M.; a member of Trinity Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Horace Chase Council, Royal and Select Masters; Mount Horeb Commandery, Knights Templar; and Edward A. Raymond Consistory of Nashua.
On October 11, 1881, Mr. Brown married M. Belle Proctor, daughter of the late well-known Dr. William Proctor, of Pittsfield, N.H. They have had three children; namely, Helen L., Howard H., and William P. The latter died in infancy.