[1] Brown was born in the town of Collins in Erie County, New York on December 29, 1828; he received a public school education, and became a farmer.
In the election of 1871, he was elected to Wisconsin Senate, District 32 (Buffalo, Clark, Jackson and Trempealeau counties) as a Liberal Republican, with 2,112 votes to 1626 for the regular Republican, former State Representative Conrad Moser, Jr. and 647 for Democrat Jacob Spaulding.
He was assigned to the standing committees on military affairs and on contingent expenses.
[5] In the next year's session, he was shifted to the committees on agriculture and on town and county organization.
[6] He was not a candidate for re-election in 1873, and was succeeded by regular Republican Robert C. Field.