Henry Brown (April 17, 1823 – September 3, 1906) was an American minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, abolitionist, and leader of the Underground Railroad.

[3] Brown was an active advocate for the rights of African Americans, serving as a delegate to the 1853 Illinois Colored Convention which advocated in favor of repealing discriminatory laws impacting African Americans.

In 1873, he was the keynote speaker at Springfield's commemoration celebration of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

[8] To supplement his "meager" income as a preacher,[9] Brown worked for Lincoln and his family for over 12 years, serving in various roles as a handyman, shoemaker, and assistant until Lincoln and his family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1861 after he was elected President.

They had five children, including a son, Thomas, who became one of the first African Americans admitted to practice law in Illinois.