31) Francis Middleton Brown: Elected mayor for the City of Welland in 1929 & 1930
Vital statistics
Birth: February 2, 1886 at Iona Station, Victoria, Nova Scotia, Canada
Death: September 28, 1959 at St. Thomas, Elgin, Ontario, Canada (age 73)
Burial place: Elmdale Memorial Park Cemetery (Find a Grave)
Parents: James Wesley / Sarah Helen (née Thomas)
Spouse: Maud R.
Children: Kathleen / Barbara
Occupation: Superintendent of Signals for New York Central Railway
Religion: Protestant
Community affiliations: Cope-Stone Masonic Lodge / Grand Chancellor of Horatio Lodge, Knights of Pythias
Profile
Francis Middleton Brown was born February 2, 1886 at Iona Station in Victoria, Nova Scotia, to James and Sarah Helen Brown. When he was sixteen he commenced his career with the New York Central Railway, and he stayed with the company for fifty years eventually reaching the position of superintendent of signals for the Canada Southern division. His work for the NYCR was the reason he made it to Welland at all, though it first took him to Dexter, MI. He then came to Welland in 1912, and after a long career here a promotion at his work took him to St. Thomas, ON, where he retired and then died in 1959, and where he is buried.
After working in Welland for nearly a decade, he first threw his hat into municipal politics in 1921, when he was elected as a councillor. He was elected eleven times as a councillor between 1921 and 1935, and was elected as mayor in the years 1929 and 1930. 1929 was known as the crash year and the beginning of the Great Depression. As the city’s leader he was required to institute stringent economies, which were credited in holding the municipality solvent in the depressed period. His administrative capabilities earned him much respect, tackling municipal work in business-like fashion.
He decided not to run for mayor again, and at the end of 1930 all of council garnered him with glowing praise. Former mayor James A. Hughes said “He has been a good mayor. Anything I can say of him must be in eulogistic terms and the city is fortunate in having a man to devote so much time to the office.” Councillor George C. Scott said “He is the best working mayor I know of in committees.” Mayor Brown was deeply moved and congratulated the council, which had been faced with many problems, one of which was unemployment. “He felt this would create a problem for many years. What the outcome would be he could not say.” He was proud to leave the chair while everyone was on good terms, with no animosity and with everyone having the right to their opinion. He felt the city staff did good work with full cooperation, and as a result the records of the city were in excellent shape. He also felt the newspapers reported the meetings impartially and fairly.
After he decided not to run for mayor again, he returned a few years later as a councillor in 1933, 1934, and 1935. An editorial after his death said “His good judgment and conscientious service won the confidence of the people during the trying years of the depression of the early 30’s. He proved to be a sound advisor on financial matters and helped considerably to maintain the credit of the municipality.”
A promotion at the New York Central Railway saw him move to St. Thomas, ON and he did not return to Welland. He died September 28, 1959 in St. Thomas after a lingering illness. The current mayor Gabriel Johnston Macoomb had this to say: “He was a devoted worker for the community and had to brave some very trying times when entrusted with authority” and that “Mr. Brown was a busy man in his career and in fraternal association, yet set time aside to serve his community ably and well. He demonstrated the nobleness of public service, something to which more citizen should aspire and a responsibility the community should appreciate.”
Sources
- “Former Mayor of Welland Frank M. Brown Died at 73.” Evening Tribune, September 29, 1959.
- “Tribute Is Paid To Mayor Brown By City Council.” Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune, December 17, 1930.