John Macmillan Brown

John Macmillan Brown (5 May 1845 – 18 January 1935) was a Scottish-New Zealand academic, administrator and promoter of education for women.

In 1874 he was selected as professor of Classics and English, one of three foundation chairs at the newly established Canterbury College in Christchurch, then part of the University of New Zealand.

In his new role, he worked 16 hours a day, covering English literature and composition, Latin and Greek; inspecting secondary schools and examining for teachers' certificates.

Under the pseudonym Godfrey Sweven he also published two Utopian novels: Riallaro, the archipelago of exiles (1901) and Limanora, the island of progress (1903).

Brown died at Christchurch on 18 January 1935 at the age of 89, leaving a significant bequest to Canterbury College.

John Macmillan Brown (1845–1935) was a university professor and administrator who had a considerable role to play in laying the foundation for university tertiary education in New Zealand.