Alexander Brown (banker)
Alexander Brown | |
|---|---|
Brown in an 1827 engraving by John Wesley Jarvis | |
| Born | 17 November 1764 Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland |
| Died | 4 April 1834 (aged 69) Baltimore, Maryland, USA |
| Occupation(s) | Merchant, banker |
| Known for | Founder of Alexander Brown & Sons |
| Spouse |
Grace Davison (m. 1783) |
| Children | 4+, including William and George |
| Relatives | John Crosby Brown (grandson) |
Alexander Brown (17 November 1764 – 4 April 1834), was an Irish merchant and banker. Beginning as a merchant trader, first of linen in Belfast, then of cotton and tobacco after migrating to Baltimore, Maryland, he later shifted his focus to financial services. He founded Alex. Brown & Sons, the oldest investment banking firm in the US, in 1800, and with his sons operated a network of banks in the US and England. He made his fortune from the transatlantic cotton trade, and was one of the first millionaires in the United States.