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There is no biographical file for pilot Brown in the archives of the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC.

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ARCHIBALD MANNING BROWN, Jr.

Archibald M. Brown, Jr. was born December 25, 1910 in New York . We find him landing at Tucson, Monday, July 27, 1931 at 2:15PM. He carried his wife as his single passenger. Based in New York, NY, they were eastbound from Yuma, AZ to El Paso, TX in the Waco RNF he identified as NC11251.

The A.M. Brown Estate, Smithtown, LI, Date Unknown (Source: Link)
The A.M. Brown Estate, Smithtown, LI, Date Unknown (Source: Link)

 

The 1920 U.S. Census, his first, placed him at age nine living with his parents, three sisters and a brother at 48 West 52nd Street, NY, NY. According to the Census form, they rented their home and shared it with five servants, including a cook and a nurse.

The 1930 Census placed him at age 19 living with his father, Archibald, Sr. (48; d. 1956), mother, Hope (47), younger sister, Hope (16) and younger brother Robert Peabody (13). His sisters, all older, were not listed in this Census.

His father was an architect (designing homes) and they now lived on an estate on Stony Brook Road, Smithtown, LI, NY valued at $100,000. The Smithtown estate, named "East Farm," is at right.

The Browns were a family of means, with three servants documented on the Census, one of whom was identified as a "Man Servant." Brown, Jr's. occupation was identified as a "Student" (he was at Harvard). Brown, Sr. was a partner in the architectural firm of Peabody, Wilson & Brown. Other Web references exhibit other structures by Brown, including photographs of the interior of his 52nd St. residence, "River House." "East Farm" was sold by the Family in April, 1945.

The 1940 Census placed Brown, Jr. living in Hagerstown, MD with his wife, Mary Marshall Canfield (26; 1913-1988), son, James (3), infant daughter, Hope (2-months), sister-in-law, Elizabeth Canfield (15) and Hardia Johnson (32) a servant. They all lived in a home rented for $65 per month. Brown's occupation was identified as "Sales Executive" in the "Aircraft" industry. An obscure 1941 publication about aircraft tubing technologies listed Brown as a contributor to the publication. He was cited as employed by the "Fairchild Aircraft Division."

About a year after the 1940 Census, Brown traveled to Brazil and his return to the U.S. via Puerto Rico was documented in the Immigration form below. WWII was recently ended. Note his airplane was the Boeing 307 Stratoliner NC19903 (not a Register airplane). It was on exhibit at the Pima Air Museum, Tucson, AZ. Then it was restored by Boeing, but crashed into the water when it ran out of fuel on a test flight. It was recovered and is now on exhibit at the National Air & Space Museum. You can view photographs of it at the links.

U.S. Immigration Form, September 26, 1941 (Source: ancestry,com)
U.S. Immigration Form, September 26, 1941 (Source: ancestry,com)

 

The New York Times, July 12, 1939 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, July 12, 1939 (Source: NYT)

 

But, I digress. This wasn't the first time he had traveled abroad. In April, 1925, at age 14, he was documented returning from Havana, Cuba with his mother aboard the S.S. Siboney. As well, in July, 1925, an Immigration form similar to the one above documented his entire family of seven returning from France on the S.S. De Grasse.

The New York Times, May 15, 1947 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, May 15, 1947 (Source: NYT)

 

Other than the aircraft tubing reference above, I have only spotty information about Brown's occupations or activities leading up to WWII and beyond. For example, an article from The New York Times, July 12, 1939, left, documented Brown's participation in a 19-seaplane tour of lakes in New Hampshire and Maine. Besides Brown, Register pilots Grover Loening and A. Felix duPont, Jr. participated.

I found a record that states that he was in the Navy during WWII, from May 4, 1942 to January 28, 1946, but I do not know for sure in what capacity (see below). He would have been in his early 30s at this time.

Likewise, right, the Times of May 15, 1947 reported his appointment to the board of directors of the Pennsylvania-Central Airlines Corporation.

At some point early in WWII he and Mary either moved to or spent significant time in Vermont. They had at least one other child, their third, born September 9, 1942 in Shelburne, VT. His name was Archibald M. Brown, III and his birth certificate follows.

Birth of A.M. Brown, III, September 9, 1942 (Source: ancestry.com)
Birth of A.M. Brown, III, September 9, 1942 (Source: ancestry.com)

Note that the certificate was specifically for a male newborn, and there was a question about "legitimate" birth. Brown's occupation was identified as "Naval Officer," and he was in "Aviation."

Wedding of Robert Peabody Brown, November 23, 1942 (Source: NYT)
Wedding of Robert Peabody Brown, November 23, 1942 (Source: NYT)

 

There was a naval operation in Vermont during WWII. It was called the Resident Inspector of Naval Material for Bell Aircraft Corp., which was located in Burlington, VT. Shelburne, VT, where the Browns' son was born, is just to the south of Burlington, so it seems reasonable that Brown might have been involved with, or acted as, the Resident Inspector for Bell in Burlington.

The New York Times, November 6, 1947 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, November 6, 1947 (Source: NYT)

 

Two months after their son was born, Brown's brother, Robert Peabody, was married in Cambridge, MA. The ceremony was documented in The New York Times November 23, 1942, left. Robert Brown was a student at the Harvard Architectural School at the time. Note that Archibald Brown was identified as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

After the war, Brown remained in the northeast. In 1947, right, he was promoted to general sales manager for the Edo Corporation. This is the only photograph I have of Brown.

The New York Times, October 13, 1948 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, October 13, 1948 (Source: NYT)

 

The New York Times of October 13, 1948 identified his employer as the Edo Corporation, left.

In addition to small news items regarding his business and family, the Browns were active in the social activities of the greater New York area. Numerous articles from the late 1930s through the 1950s cite their participation in the normal panoply of activites engaged in by the social elite, dinner parties, bridge, dances and charity events.

 

The New York Times, October 6, 1948 (Source: NYT)
(Source: NYT)

 

The New York Times, June 13, 1950 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, June 13, 1950 (Source: NYT)

 

Brown participated in an historic flight as documented in The New York Times, May 14, 1947, left. Register pilot Beckwith Havens was his pilot.

His father's obituary, which appeared in The New York Times, November 30, 1956, cited his residence as Bedford, NY.

The Times of June 13, 1950 reported on Brown's advancement to vice president of sales for Edo, right. This article also makes it clear that Brown had worked for Edo since 1935.

The Edo Corporation is still in business. Its original product was pontoons for aircraft. It has diversified widely over the years into electronics, engineering services, electronic warfare, intelligence and information warfare. It has had its share of law suits and protests that can be found described on the Web.

Hope Brown, Debutante, The New York Times, September 8, 1957 (Source: NYT)
Hope Brown, Debutante, The New York Times, September 8, 1957 (Source: NYT)

 

Archibald M. Brown, Jr., 1910-1990 (Source: findagrave.com)
Archibald M. Brown, Jr., 1910-1990 (Source: findagrave.com)

 

Brown's daughter, Hope, became a debutante and an article in The New York Times, September 8, 1957 reported on a dinner dance given by her parents in her honor, above.

I have no photographs of Brown (other than the news photo above), nor do I have a lot of information about his life after WWII. If you can help fill in the blanks, please let me KNOW.

Brown died at age 79 on May 5, 1990 in Tucson, AZ. His headstone is at right. Mary's birth and death dates are also on the marker. They are buried in Vermont.

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 12/04/16 REVISED:

 
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