User:Keilana/Charlotte Emerson Brown



Charlotte Emerson Brown (April 21, 1838 - February 5, 1895) was an important figure in the American women's club movement of the mid-19th century, and the first president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs.

Early life and education
Brown was born into an old-blood New England family as Charlotte Emerson in Andover, Massachusetts, to Eliza Rockwell and her preacher/professor husband, Ralph Emerson. As a child, she attended the Abbot Academy in her hometown, then traveled the world before moving to Rockford, Illinois with her family in 1859. While still in school, Brown acquired fluency in French, then Latin and Greek after her graduation, three of the several languages she learned throughout her life. Her first voyage outside of the United States took her to a Montreal, Canada seminary, where she taught Latin, French, and mathematics. From there, she traveled in pursuit of her studies of languages and music, visiting Europe (Germany, France, Greece, Italy, and Austria) as well as the Middle East (Syria, Turkey, and Egypt). After she settled in the Chicago area, she completed a commercial degree and worked as a language teacher at Rockford Seminary and as secretary to her brother Ralph. Her first foray into clubs came at this time, when she formed Euterpe, a club centered on music, and an unnamed club dedicated to French.

Marriage and travels
She was married to a Congregationalist clergyman, William Bryant Brown, on July 27, 1880. Their early years of marriage were occupied by Charlotte's linguistic and musical studies in Europe, which ended when the couple moved to East Orange, New Jersey.

Early involvement in women's clubs
Brown began to become involved in the nascent women's club movement as well as other women's groups after her return to the United States. The first organization she joined was the Woman's Board of Missions of the Congregational Church, a religious group whose activities Brown planned. She also helped to organize the work of another group, the Fortnightly Club of East Orange. Her first leadership role came with the Woman's Club of Orange; she was elected president and served in that role from 1888-1890.