Addison Brown records
Scope and Contents
The Addison Brown records contain early material on the origins and development of the New York Botanical Garden, particularly its charter and location. They also document Brown’s role on the Board of Managers and his interactions with the Scientific Directors.
This collection does not include records related to his judicial career, personal life, or involvement with other organizations, and it does not contain material documenting his botanical writings or other publications.
Dates
- 1891 - 1940
- Majority of material found within 1891 - 1900
Creator
- Brown, Addison, 1830-1913 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research with permission from Mertz Library staff.
Conditions Governing Use
Requests for permission to publish material from the collection should be submitted in writing to the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of the New York Botanical Garden.
Biographical / Historical
Addison Brown (1830–1913) was a United States district judge for the Southern District of New York, as well as a botanist and amateur astronomer. He was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, on February 21, 1830. Brown attended Amherst College in 1848–1849 before transferring to Harvard College, where he graduated in 1852. He then pursued law, earning his degree from Harvard Law School in 1855.
Brown considered the establishment of the New York Botanical Garden “the most important public service, aside from [his] career as Judge, that [he] rendered, or took a prominent part in, during [his] life.” He wrote a section about the Garden in his autobiography, Judge Addison Brown: Autobiographical Notes for His Children, because he wanted his role in the enterprise understood. Brown was a founding member of the Corporation of The New York Botanical Garden, a member of the Board of Managers from its inception in 1895 until 1913, and President of the Board of Managers from 1910 to 1913. He was one of the framers of the legislative charter of the Corporation, Chairman of the Committee on Plans in 1896 and 1897, and Chairman of the Executive Committee from 1909 to 1911.
In 1908, Brown published Elgin Garden, Columbia College, New Hampshire Grants, a history of the Elgin Botanical Garden. He also co-authoredAn Illustrated Flora of the United States (1893–1898) with Dr. Nathaniel Lord Britton.
Addison Brown died on April 9, 1913.
Extent
0.83 Linear Feet (2 document boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The collection is organized into three series:
- Series 1: Administrative Records, 1891-1940, bulk 1891-1899
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1891-1929
- Series 3: Scientific Directors, 1894-1916
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Addison Brown records were transferred to the New York Botanical Garden archives in 1980.
- Correspondence
- Fund raising -- New York (State) -- New York
- Minutes (administrative records)
- New York Botanical Garden -- Administration
- New York Botanical Garden -- Design and construction
Creator
- Brown, Addison, 1830-1913 (Person)
- Title
- Addison Brown records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Serena D. Gomez in 1998 with further revisions by Nicole Font in 2025.
- Date
- February 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Originally processed by Serena D. Gomez, Reference Librarian / Archivist in July 1998. Reprocessed by Nicole Font, Shelby White and Leon Levy Processing Archivist, in February 2025 with funding from the Leon Levy Foundation.
Repository Details
Part of the The Archives of the New York Botanical Garden Repository
New York Botanical Garden, Mertz Library
2900 Southern Boulevard
Bronx NY 10458 United States
ssinon@nybg.org