James D. Brown, cashier of the Steele County Bank, is a young man of exceptional business ability, and is a recognized leader in financial affairs in the county. He is a man of practical business methods, and his thorough knowledge of the intricate affairs of the institution with which he is connected are handled conservatively and with keen foresight.
Our subject was born in La Salle county, Illinois, August 4, 1866, and was the second child and oldest son born to James P. and Charlotte A. (McVean) Brown. The Brown family settled in Massachusetts prior to the Revolutionary war, and was connected for generations with the growth of the New England states. The great-grandfather of our subject was Major Micha Brown, of the war of 1812, and his son, the grandfather of our subject, then but ten years of age, acted as his aide. Three brothers of the Brown family came to America together, and one of the brothers settled in Massachusetts and later located in Vermont, and to this immediate ancestor of our subject three sons were born, as follows: Micah (Major Brown, of the war of 1812); James, a sailor; and William, who served in the British navy as lieutenant under Lord Nelson. To Micha Brown three sons were born, as follows: James C, the grandfather of our subject, who was a physician, and his father's aide; Cyrus M., a captain in the Civil war; and Charles R., a farmer. The father of our subject was the owner of the Bank of LaSalle, and our subject as a boy was engaged in the banking business, and his education consisted in part of the business methods of the institution of which the father was the head. The family removed to Minneapolis in August, 1884.
Our subject went to Hope, North Dakota, in 1881, near where the father owned land, and in September, 1886, a private bank was established under the name of J. P. Brown & Son, our subject assuming control of the business. This institution was reorganized in 1890, as a state bank, under the name of "The Steele County Bank," with C. A. Brown, president; C. D. Brown, vice-president, and James D. Brown, cashier. The bank does a general banking business and handles real estate, insurance and loans.
James D. Brown was married, in 1889, to Miss Clara D. Ward, a native of LaSalle county, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are the parents of two children, as follows: Malcolm J. and Sylvia D. Mr. Brown is a member of the Masonic fraternity. Politically he is a Republican, and is a man who keeps abreast of the times on all public issues.
Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota 1900 Page 313