John A. Brown was born in Janesville,
Wisconsin,
September 18, 1858. His boyhood days were spent in Green Bay,
Wis., however, where he attended the public schools. Mr. Brown
commenced to earn his own living at the age of fifteen, securing a
position of telegraph operator with the Wisconsin Central
Railroad. He was transferred to a more important post in Chicago
when eighteen, and remained there until twenty-one, when he removed to
Nebraska, and engaged in the grain business.
After four years of Nebraska life, Mr. Brown
accepted a position with the Rock Island Railroad at
Davenport,
Ia.,
and when he resigned after eight years of service, was chief clerk to
the general superintendent. In 1891 he went into the employ of
the Equitable Life Insurance Company of St. Louis, and in 1893 came to
Kansas City as manager for the local office, the position he now
holds.
From his advent, Mr. Brown has helped to
"make Kansas City a good place to live in." As a
member of the Commercial Club, he has served continuously on important
committees, and he is now serving his fourth term as a director of
Convention Hall. He is a member of the Kansas City Club, the
Driving Club, the Country Club, and the local lodge of Elks, and also
belongs to the New York Athletic Club.
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