Anne S. K. Brown

Anne Seddon Kinsolving Brown was an American historian, socialite, and collector of military memorabilia who married into the prominent Rhode Island Brown family, founders of Brown University.

Anne S. K. Brown
Born	Anne Seddon Kinsolving March 25, 1906 Brooklyn, New York
Died	November 21, 1985 (aged 79) Newport, Rhode Island
Education	Bryn Mawr School
Occupation	Historian and collector of military memorabilia.
Known for	Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection.
Spouse(s)	John Nicholas Brown II ​ ​ (m. 1930; died 1979)​
Children	3, including J. Carter
Parent(s)	Arthur B. Kinsolving Sally Bruce Kinsolving
Relatives	Lee Kinsolving (nephew)

Early life

Anne was born on March 25, 1906, in Brooklyn[note 1] to Rev. Arthur B. and Sally Bruce Kinsolving. When she was six months old her family moved to Baltimore where her father took the position of rector at Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church. (Eventually Rev. Kinsolving became Bishop of Baltimore). She was the sister of the Rev. Dr. Arthur Lee Kinsolving, rector of Trinity Church, and later, St. James' Episcopal Church in New York. Rev. Kinsolving was the father of Lee Kinsolving (1938–1974), the actor.[1]

She attended Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, graduating in 1924. For the next several years she worked as a journalist for the Baltimore News, writing on a variety of topics including music, theater and art.

Career

Anne Brown began collecting lead toy soldiers during the couple's year-long honeymoon trip to Europe in 1930. Eventually her interest expanded dramatically to a large collection of military memorabilia, which on her death became the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection. Beyond collecting artefacts, she was a general historian, co-founding the Company of Military Historians in 1949. She was one of the few women military historians.[2] She also wrote many books and articles.[3]

In 1962, she was given an L.H.D degree from Brown University.[2] In 1965 she lectured on military history at the University of California.[4]

Personal life

In 1930, she met and married John Nicholas Brown II, a Brown family heir who eventually became Assistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR) from 1946 to 1949. Together, Anne and John had three children:

• Nicholas Brown (b. 1933), a captain in the U.S. Navy who served as the director of the National Aquarium in Baltimore from 1983 to 1995, who married Diane Verne[5][6]
• John Carter Brown III (1934-2002),[7] who became director of the National Gallery of Art, and was married to Constance Mellon Byers (1942-1983)[8] (daughter of Richard King Mellon),[9] and later, Pamela Braga Drexel (former wife of John R. Drexel IV).[10][11]
• Angela Bayard Brown (b. 1938), who married Dr. Edwin Garvin Fischer (b. 1937)[12] in 1963, grandson of Edwin Louis Garvin.[13][14][15]

Anne Brown died at her home "Harbour Court" in Newport, RI, on November 21, 1985.[4]

Notes

1. Some sources say she was born in Baltimore, where her family moved when she was an infant.

References

1. "Lee Kinsolving, 36, Actor, Son of Ex-St. James' Rector". The New York Times. 1974-12-08. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
2. Scanlon, Jennifer; Cosner, Shaaron (1996). American Women Historians, 1700s-1990s: A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 31. OCLC 185705564.
3. "Anne Seddon Kinsolving Brown: Biographical Outline". Brown University Library. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
4. Smith, J. Y. (November 22, 1985). "Anne Kinsolving Brown, 79, Military History Expert, Dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
5. Gunts, Edward (June 25, 1995). "Amateur Who Made Splash At Aquarium". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
6. "Guide to the John Nicholas Brown family photographs 1860-1980 (bulk 1920-1979)" (PDF). library.brown.edu. John Hay Library | University Archives and Manuscripts. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
7. Kimmelman, Michael (19 June 2002). "J. Carter Brown, 67, Is Dead; Transformed Museum World". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
8. "Constance Barber Mellon, 41, Prominent Patron of the Arts". The New York Times. 4 January 1983. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
9. Times, Special To The New York (18 June 1971). "Mrs. Byers Wed to J. C. Brown". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
10. Times, Special To The New York (24 September 1976). "Notes on People | Director of National Art Gallery to Wed". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
11. "B. RIONDA BRAGA". The New York Times. 25 July 1986. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
12. "Edwin G. Fischer, MD, FAANS(L)". societyns.org. The Society of Neurological Surgeons. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
13. Bachrach, Special To The New York Timesbradford (5 May 1963). "Miss Angela B. Brown Is Married; Bride of Edwin G. Fischer at Church in Providence". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
14. "WEDDINGS; Olivia Fischer, Christopher Fox". The New York Times. 29 August 1993. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
15. "Amanda B. Grow,Edwin Fischer Jr". The New York Times. 8 October 1995. Retrieved 9 February 2017.