James Joseph Brown

Brown was born in Waymart, Pennsylvania on September 27, 1854. His father, James Brown, was an Irish immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in 1848. There, he met Brown's mother, Cecilia Palmer, who was a schoolteacher. In his biography by Ferril, Brown is said to have paid for night school in Pennsylvania to attain an education. ==Career==

Brown left home at the age of 23 and worked on a farm in Nebraska. While the price of silver fell, the price of gold went up. with the intention of mining gold at Little Jonny. The gold was particularly pure. It was reported to be among the most substantial gold strikes in the country at the time and helped trigger economic recovery in Leadville and throughout the state. Entrepreneur After serving Smith and Moffat for 14 years, in 1894, Brown decided to operate his own mining enterprises in Leadville and other locations. He moved to Denver that year and continued to advise Moffat and others, which led to the first major mining boom in the Creede area. Beet sugar production Brown along with other successful miners sought to diversify their holdings to include agricultural products. Sugar beets were suited for Colorado's arid climate. The Great Western Sugar Company was founded by the same miners a few years later. It became the country's largest supplier of beet sugar by 1978. ==Personal life==

, c. 1892 Brown married Margaret Tobin on September 1, 1886, in Leadville's Annunciation Church. They first settled in Leadville, Colorado but moved closer to the mines on Iron Hill in the rugged Stumpftown (now a ghost town). After the birth of their son, the Browns moved back into Leadville, living at 320 Ninth Street and then 322 Seventh Street. The couple enjoyed the opera and theatre and Brown was a member of the Denver Athletic Club and the Denver Country Club. • Catherine Ellen "Helen" Brown (July 22, 1889 – September 18, 1970) was born in Leadville, Colorado. She married George Joseph Peter Adelheid Benziger (1877–1970) on April 7, 1913, in Chicago, Illinois, with whom she bore two sons, James George Benziger (1914–1995) and George Peter Joseph Adelrich Benziger (1917–1985). Catherine Ellen Brown (Helen) died in Jackson County, Illinois. They raised three of their nieces: Grace, Florence, and Helen Tobin. There were other nieces and nephews who lived with the Browns occasionally. Separation In 1909, Brown and his wife signed a separation agreement. The couple were both Catholic and they never divorced. The agreement gave Margaret a cash settlement and possession of the Victorian mansion on Pennsylvania Street in Denver's wealthy Capital Hill neighborhood, and also the summer mansion Avoca Lodge in Southwest Denver, near Bear Creek. She also received a $700 monthly allowance (equivalent to $19,066 today) to continue her travels and philanthropic activities. Although they never reconciled, they remained connected and cared for each other throughout their lives. Margaret said of Brown "I've never met a finer, bigger, more worthwhile man than J.J. Brown." ==Death==

Brown died on September 5, 1922, in Hempstead, New York. J.J. Brown left vast, yet complicated, real estate, mining, and stock holdings. It was unknown to the Browns and their lawyers how much was left in the estate. Prior to J.J.'s death, he had transferred a large amount of money to his children. Their children were also unaware how much money that Margaret had, but were displeased at the amount of money that she spent on charity. Margaret and her children fought in court for six years to settle the estate. ==Portrayals==

• Harve Presnell (1964) The Unsinkable Molly Brown ==Notes==