HON. JAMES C. BROWN, editor
and one of the proprietors of the Advance Argus, was born on the old
homestead, settled by his grandfather, October 7, 1829, and is the
third son of James W. Brown, previously spoken of in this chapter. He
received his primary education in the common schools, and at the age of
seventeen, in September, 1846, entered the office of the Mercer Whig,
where he remained till January, 1848. He then entered the Mercer
Academy, but after a few months returned to Greenville and became a
student in the academy, then under the charge of Revs. D. H. A. McLean
and J. G. Wilson, where he completed his education. In the winter
of 1848-49 he commenced teaching a school in the Law district, five
miles west of Mercer, and the following winter taught at Leech’s
Corners. At the close of the latter term he went to Brookville, Penn.,
and taught a select school six months. He then bought a half
interest in the Jefferson Star, a Whig paper, published Brookville, and
began editing that journal ere reaching his twenty-first year. While
connected with the Star Mr. Brown taught in the common schools of
Greenville two winters. In the spring of 1853 he sold his interest in
that paper, came to Greenville and purchased the Independent Press, and
during the past thirty-five years he has been connected with the press
of Greenville the larger portion of his time. Politically Mr. Brown was
first a Whig, and since the birth of the Republican party has been one
of its stanchest supporters. In June, 1854, he was elected the first
county superintendent of public schools in Mercer County, and filled
that position two years. In October, 1861, he was elected to the
Legislature, and re-elected to the same office in October, 1862. The
following year he was the choice of his party in Mercer County for the
Senate, but the nomination went to Venango County.
Source: (History of Mercer County, 1888, pages 776)
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