Early life Browne was born in
South Halifax, Vermont, to parents
William Goldsmith Browne and Eunice (Fisher) Browne. His father was a poet, best known for his poem and hymn, "A Hundred Years To Come." Browne learned the printing trade, working in his father's newspaper,
The Chicopee Journal, while he attended high school in
Chicopee, Massachusetts. After his high school education, at the age of 19, Browne enlisted in the
46th Regiment of Infantry, Massachusetts Volunteers, Company D, and was mustered into service on September 25, 1862. He was appointed as 1st Corporal. During his volunteer service, he participated in the
Goldsborough Expedition, 2nd Trent Road reconnaissance (March 13, 1863), was part of the garrison of troops sent to Plymouth (April 1863), on the Roanoke River, Gum Swamp, and the Maryland Campaign. He mustered out on July 29, 1863. Thirty-two men died of illness or accident, during their service, one soldier died as a direct consequence of battle.
Career After his military service, he worked in a law office in
Rochester, New York then left to take a law course at the University of Michigan in 1866, however he left in early 1867, returning to Rochester, where he met and married Susan Seaman Brooks on June 26, 1867. They moved to Chicago, where he was determined to pursue a literary career. In May 1880, the first issue of
The Dial was released under the publishing firm, Jansen, McClurg & Company, with Browne serving in the position as literary advisor. In contrast to the first incarnations of
The Dial, Browne’s endeavor was criticized for its apolitical and conservative content. Browne also attempted to establish an upscale bookstore, Browne’s Bookstore, in the
Fine Arts Building. The store was designed by
Frank Lloyd Wright. However, he failed to attract consistent patronage, and closed the store after five years.
Personal and literary activities Over the years, he had become close friends with
John Muir,
John Burroughs,
Walt Whitman, and other notable figures. Browne was one of the founders and later, an honorary member of the Chicago Literary Club, the
Caxton Club, and
The Twilight Club of Pasadena (California). He served as the Chairman of Committee on Congress at the World's Congress Auxiliary of the Columbian Exhibition, in the summer of 1893.
Death Browne died at age 69 in Santa Barbara, California. == Works ==