Addison Brown

Addison C. Brown (February 21, 1830 – April 9, 1913) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, a botanist, and a serious amateur astronomer. Early life, education and career Addison Brown was born on February 21, 1830, in West Newbury, Massachusetts, the oldest of five children of Addison Brown Sr., a shoemaker, and Catherine Babson Griffin, both descended from Massachusetts' earliest Pilgrim settlers. He attended West Newbury's one-room school until he had exhausted its offerings at age 12. In 1843 he began more advanced studies in such areas as Latin, physics, algebra, and philosophy. In 1848 Brown entered Amherst College, intending from the start to transfer to Harvard University in his sophomore year. While at Harvard, Brown earned money as the college organist and unhappily spent some summer months as a village school teacher. Brown befriended and roomed with his Harvard classmate Horatio Alger and counted Ephraim Whitman Gurney (who became a professor of philosophy and history and dean of the Harvard faculty) as his closest college friend.