Nicholas Brown III (October 2, 1792 – March 2, 1859) was the United States Consul to the Papal court from 1845 to 1853 and later was Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island from 1856 to 1857, serving under Governor W. W.

[1] Nicholas Brown III was born on October 2, 1792, in Providence, Rhode Island, the eldest of three surviving children born to Nicholas Brown Jr. (1769–1841), the namesake patron of Brown University, and Ann Carter, daughter of John Carter, a prominent printer in Providence.

[2] His younger brother was John Carter Brown II (1797–1874).

[3] He graduated from Brown University, which was founded by his family, in 1811 and attended the Litchfield Law School.

From 1845 to 1853, he was the United States Consul to the Papal court.