James Clifton Brown

Who was James Clifton Brown?

James Clifton Brown JP was a British Liberal Party Member of Parliament.

He was the second son of Alexander Brown and his wife Sarah Benedict Brown, daughter of James Brown. His paternal grandfather was the banker and merchant Sir William Brown, 1st Baronet, and his younger brother the Liberal politician Sir Alexander Brown, 1st Baronet. Brown was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he graduated with a Master of Arts.

He was elected to the House of Commons at a by-election in 1876 for Horsham in Sussex, and held the seat until his defeat at the 1880 general election. Brown served as lieutenant-colonel of the 1st Lancashire Royal Garrison Artillery and on his retirement in 1884, was granted the rank of an honorary colonel of the 2nd Brigade, Lancashire Division. He was a Justice of the Peace and in 1888, he was appointed High Sheriff of Sussex.

On 21 March 1866, he married Amelia Rowe, daughter of Charles Rowe. They had ten children, four daughters and six sons. His oldest son Howard represented the same constituency as his father, and his fifth son Douglas was later elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom. One of his grandsons, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, followed him into Parliament, and his great-great-grandson, also Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, is currently serving in Parliament.