John Evans Brown
Encyclopedia
John Evans Brown was a 19th century Member of Parliament
in New Zealand
. Born in Pennsylvania
, he came to New Zealand after spending time in Australia, where he was a farmer and US Consul. He farmed in Canterbury, where he was known as "Yankee" Brown. Three of his brothers in law, through his first wife, served as his fellow Members of Parliament. He married a second time, as his first wife died young, and moved back to the United States. On his father's land in Asheville
, he came to considerable wealth due to the mining of mica
.
, the son of Major William J. Brown (1803–84) and Ann Marshall Evans. His siblings were William Caleb Brown and Samuel S. Brown. He went to California
in 1849 where he worked as a surveyor for a few years, before moving to New South Wales
in Australia
. There he ran a sheep and cattle farm and served as US Consul. On 11 October 1859 in Sydney
, he married Theresa Australia Brown (née Peacock), the daughter of John Jenkins Peacock (d. 1866) and Maria Peacock (1804–1884).
near Christchurch
. Brown gave the area a Cherokee
name, Swannanoa
, and was known in the district as "Yankee Brown". He was a main benefactor of the Swannanoa Methodist
Church, which opened in 1874. He moved to Papanui
in 1877, having bought property in what became Brown's Road but is now spelt Browns Road. He was the first general manager of the Christchurch Tramway Board
. The residence was called Chippenham and still stands today.
. On election day on 18 February, Brown achieved an absolute majority, with 171 votes, and 82 and 67 votes for Gray and Maskell, respectively.
The nominations for the 1876 general election took place in Leithfield
on 30 December 1875. Brown and Maskell were put forward. Both reflected on their experience; Brown had by now been in parliament for five years, and Maskell had held the Sefton seat on the Canterbury Provincial Council
for ten years (since 1866). The election was held on 11 January 1876, and Brown and Maskell received 266 and 197 votes respectively.
Brown announced several months before the 1879 general election
that he would not stand again for Ashley, but that he may consider contesting another electorate. In response to several deputations urging him to stand again, Brown announced in mid August that his situation had now changed, and he would not stand at all. His friends would have to "release him from his promise not to stand", but he would consider putting his name forward if they did release him. Brown did not contest any electorate in 1879, but William Sefton Moorhouse
, Walpole Cheshire Fendall and Cunningham contested the Ashley seat, with Moorhouse winning with a majority of 65 votes.
Brown contested the St Albans electorate
in the 9 December 1881 general election
with J. L. Wilson and A. W. O'Neill. They received 218, 168 and 85 votes, respectively. Brown was declared elected. He did not stand for re-election in the 22 July 1884 general election
.
students. He managed the Wai-iti run for his uncle John Thomas Peacock
. His second daughter Kate (Katy) Elizabeth Brown was born on 4 September 1867. His daughter Maria Theresa later married Reverend H. Fields. Hubert Evans was another son. The eldest son was John Peacock Brown. He was educated at Christ's College
during 1873–74 and died on 5 February 1877. John Evans Brown, the youngest son, died only five days later on 10 February 1877, aged 11 months. At least three of Brown's children were buried in Christchurch
's Barbadoes Street Cemetery. His wife Theresa never recovered from this loss and died on 11 February 1880, aged 42.
Through his wife Theresa, Brown had three brothers in law as fellow Members of Parliament.
John Thomas Peacock, Theresa's brother, was elected unopposed to Parliament at the 1868 by-election in the Lyttelton electorate
He was confirmed in the 1871 election for Lyttelton, again elected unopposed. In early April 1873, Peacock was promoted to the Legislative Council
(the upper house) and resigned from Parliament on 5 April 1873.
Henry Richard Webb
married one of the Peacock sisters in 1857 in Sydney and emigrated to New Zealand in 1868. He succeeded John Thomas Peacock in the Lyttelton electorate in 1873, and held the seat until the end of 1875.
Francis James Garrick
(1833–1890), from Sydney, married Theresa's oldest sister, Elizabeth. He came to New Zealand in 1864, and succeeded Brown in the St Albans electorate from 1884
-87.
. Brown left Parliament and the parents emigrated to America with three of their children (Maria, Katy and Hubert). They left Lyttelton on 30 August 1884 (the same year as his father died) on board the Tongariro, sailing for Rio de Janeiro
. They went to Asheville
in North Carolina
, as his father (1803–84) owned large areas of land there. The land was considered to be worthless, but the Browns found mica deposits. They built a factory and gained considerable wealth. Brown built a homestead that he called Zealandia Castle. His daughter Kate Elizabeth married at Asheville on 18 November 1892, had three children and died in New York.
Brown died on 9 July 1895 in Asheville.
Parliament of New Zealand
The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The House of Representatives is often referred to as "Parliament".The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Born in 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...
, he came to New Zealand after spending time in Australia, where he was a farmer and US Consul. He farmed in Canterbury, where he was known as "Yankee" Brown. Three of his brothers in law, through his first wife, served as his fellow Members of Parliament. He married a second time, as his first wife died young, and moved back to the United States. On his father's land in Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, he came to considerable wealth due to the mining of mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
.
Early life
Brown was born in Lewistown, PennsylvaniaLewistown, Pennsylvania
Lewistown is a borough in and the county seat of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies along the Juniata River, northwest of Harrisburg. The number of people living in the borough in 1900 was 4,451; in 1910, 8,166; and in 1940, 13,017. The population was 8,998 at the 2000 census,...
, the son of Major William J. Brown (1803–84) and Ann Marshall Evans. His siblings were William Caleb Brown and Samuel S. Brown. He went to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1849 where he worked as a surveyor for a few years, before moving to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. There he ran a sheep and cattle farm and served as US Consul. On 11 October 1859 in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, he married Theresa Australia Brown (née Peacock), the daughter of John Jenkins Peacock (d. 1866) and Maria Peacock (1804–1884).
Life in New Zealand
The Browns moved to New Zealand and settled in a farming community on the Eyre RiverEyre River, New Zealand
The Eyre River is a river in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It arises in the Puketeraki Range and flows south-east into the Waimakariri River near Christchurch International Airport. The connection with the Waimakariri is via a diversion channel running south-west, replacing the Eyre's...
near Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
. Brown gave the area a Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
name, Swannanoa
Swannanoa, New Zealand
Swannanoa is a small, originally farming village situated 35 kilometres northwest of Christchurch, New Zealand. The area has an estimated population of 1,000 with around 200 pupils enrolled in the primary school, established in 1873...
, and was known in the district as "Yankee Brown". He was a main benefactor of the Swannanoa Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
Church, which opened in 1874. He moved to Papanui
Papanui
Papanui is a major suburb of Christchurch New Zealand. It is sited five kilometers to the northwest of the city centre. Papanui is a middle socio-economic area with a population of 3,543 consisting predominantly of Pākehā 92.3%, Māori 5.7%, Pacific peoples 2.5%, Asian 5.0%, Middle Eastern/Latin...
in 1877, having bought property in what became Brown's Road but is now spelt Browns Road. He was the first general manager of the Christchurch Tramway Board
Christchurch tramway system
The Christchurch tramway system was an extensive network in Christchurch, New Zealand, with steam and horse trams from 1882. Electric trams ran from 1905 to 1954, when the last line to Papanui was replaced by buses...
. The residence was called Chippenham and still stands today.
Political career
Brown contested the Ashley electorate in the 1871 general election against Gray and William Miles MaskellWilliam Miles Maskell
William Miles Maskell was a New Zealand farmer, politician and entomologist.-Early life :Born in Mapperton, Dorset, England to Mary Scott and William Maskell, an Anglican clergyman, he attended school at St Mary's College in Oscott, Birmingham, and later in Paris, before being commissioned an...
. On election day on 18 February, Brown achieved an absolute majority, with 171 votes, and 82 and 67 votes for Gray and Maskell, respectively.
The nominations for the 1876 general election took place in Leithfield
Leithfield
Leithfield is a small town in north Canterbury, New Zealand. It is on State Highway 1, five kilometres south of Amberley and 42 kilometres north of Christchurch...
on 30 December 1875. Brown and Maskell were put forward. Both reflected on their experience; Brown had by now been in parliament for five years, and Maskell had held the Sefton seat on the Canterbury Provincial Council
Canterbury Province
The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. On the east coast the province was bounded by the Hurunui River in the north and the Waitaki River in the south...
for ten years (since 1866). The election was held on 11 January 1876, and Brown and Maskell received 266 and 197 votes respectively.
Brown announced several months before the 1879 general election
New Zealand general election, 1879
The New Zealand general election of 1879 was held between 28 August and 15 September to elect a total of 88 MPs to the 7th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 1 and 8 September. A total number of 82,271 voters turned out to vote.The election came about when George...
that he would not stand again for Ashley, but that he may consider contesting another electorate. In response to several deputations urging him to stand again, Brown announced in mid August that his situation had now changed, and he would not stand at all. His friends would have to "release him from his promise not to stand", but he would consider putting his name forward if they did release him. Brown did not contest any electorate in 1879, but William Sefton Moorhouse
William Sefton Moorhouse
William Sefton Moorhouse was a New Zealand politician. He was the second Superintendent of Canterbury Province.-Early life:...
, Walpole Cheshire Fendall and Cunningham contested the Ashley seat, with Moorhouse winning with a majority of 65 votes.
Brown contested the St Albans electorate
St Albans (New Zealand electorate)
St Albans was a parliamentary electorate in Christchurch, New Zealand from 1881 to 1890, then from 1946 to 1996.-Population centres:The electorate was centred on the Christchurch suburb of St Albans.-History:...
in the 9 December 1881 general election
New Zealand general election, 1881
The New Zealand general election of 1881 was held 9 December to elect a total of 95 MPs to the 8th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 8 December...
with J. L. Wilson and A. W. O'Neill. They received 218, 168 and 85 votes, respectively. Brown was declared elected. He did not stand for re-election in the 22 July 1884 general election
New Zealand general election, 1884
The New Zealand general election of 1884 was held on 22 July to elect a total of 95 MPs to the 9th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 21 July. A total number of 137,686 voters turned out to vote.-References:...
.
Family
His son William Vance Brown (b. 1864) was one of the first Lincoln CollegeLincoln University, New Zealand
Lincoln University is a New Zealand university that was formed in 1990 when Lincoln College, Canterbury was made independent of the University of Canterbury...
students. He managed the Wai-iti run for his uncle John Thomas Peacock
John Thomas Peacock
John Thomas Peacock MLC JP was a New Zealand businessman, philanthropist and politician. He came to Canterbury in 1844, several years before organised settlement started.-Early life:...
. His second daughter Kate (Katy) Elizabeth Brown was born on 4 September 1867. His daughter Maria Theresa later married Reverend H. Fields. Hubert Evans was another son. The eldest son was John Peacock Brown. He was educated at Christ's College
Christ's College, Canterbury
Christ's College, Christchurch is an independent, Anglican, secondary, day and boarding school for boys, located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand....
during 1873–74 and died on 5 February 1877. John Evans Brown, the youngest son, died only five days later on 10 February 1877, aged 11 months. At least three of Brown's children were buried in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
's Barbadoes Street Cemetery. His wife Theresa never recovered from this loss and died on 11 February 1880, aged 42.
Through his wife Theresa, Brown had three brothers in law as fellow Members of Parliament.
John Thomas Peacock, Theresa's brother, was elected unopposed to Parliament at the 1868 by-election in the Lyttelton electorate
Lyttelton (New Zealand electorate)
Lyttelton is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate. It existed from 1853–90, and again from 1893–1996, when it was replaced by the Banks Peninsula electorate.-Population Centres:...
He was confirmed in the 1871 election for Lyttelton, again elected unopposed. In early April 1873, Peacock was promoted to the Legislative Council
New Zealand Legislative Council
The Legislative Council of New Zealand was the upper house of the New Zealand Parliament from 1853 until 1951. Unlike the lower house, the New Zealand House of Representatives, the Legislative Council was appointed.-Role:...
(the upper house) and resigned from Parliament on 5 April 1873.
Henry Richard Webb
Henry Richard Webb
Henry Richard Webb FRMS JP was a New Zealand businessman and politician. He represented Lyttelton in Parliament for 2½ years and was a supporter of education in his later years. Born in Australia, he came to Canterbury in 1868....
married one of the Peacock sisters in 1857 in Sydney and emigrated to New Zealand in 1868. He succeeded John Thomas Peacock in the Lyttelton electorate in 1873, and held the seat until the end of 1875.
Francis James Garrick
Francis James Garrick
Francis James Garrick , was a barrister and politician from Christchurch, New Zealand.-Early years:Garrick was the oldest of ten children of James Francis Garrick and Catherine Eliza Garrick...
(1833–1890), from Sydney, married Theresa's oldest sister, Elizabeth. He came to New Zealand in 1864, and succeeded Brown in the St Albans electorate from 1884
New Zealand general election, 1884
The New Zealand general election of 1884 was held on 22 July to elect a total of 95 MPs to the 9th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 21 July. A total number of 137,686 voters turned out to vote.-References:...
-87.
Return to America
Brown remarried on 20 December 1883, to Jane (Emily) Martin, at St Peter's Church in WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. Brown left Parliament and the parents emigrated to America with three of their children (Maria, Katy and Hubert). They left Lyttelton on 30 August 1884 (the same year as his father died) on board the Tongariro, sailing for Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. They went to Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, as his father (1803–84) owned large areas of land there. The land was considered to be worthless, but the Browns found mica deposits. They built a factory and gained considerable wealth. Brown built a homestead that he called Zealandia Castle. His daughter Kate Elizabeth married at Asheville on 18 November 1892, had three children and died in New York.
Brown died on 9 July 1895 in Asheville.