Nicholas Brown Sr. (July 26, 1729 – May 29, 1791) was an American merchant, civic leader and slave trader who was a co-signer of the founding charter of the College of Rhode Island in 1763.
Following the death of his uncle Obadiah, the family business conglomerate that included maritime trade along the Eastern Seaboard, with the Caribbean and with England; a rum distillery; spermaceti candle manufacturing; an iron foundry (the Hope Furnace); and a network of shops, was renamed Nicholas Brown & Co. Until 1771, Brown worked in partnership with his three younger brothers Joseph, John, and Moses, who were known in Rhode Island annals as the "Four Brothers."
During the Revolution, he speculated in war bonds, supplied the Continental Army with gunpowder and foodstuffs, transformed the Hope Furnace into cannon works, and funded several privateering ventures.
During the post-war "critical period," Brown was a leader of the Federalist faction in Rhode Island that opposed paper money and supported ratifying the U.S.
[2] Shortly after taking over the family business Brown ordered a nine-and-a half foot mahogany desk-and-bookcase crafted by Daniel Spencer, who was the nephew of John Goddard.