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C. L. Brown
American businessman

Cleyson Leroy Brown (February 3, 1872 - November 12, 1935) was a telephone company co-founder, financier, innovator, and philanthropist in the United States. He founded Brown Telephone Company, which then became the Sprint Corporation.

Brown, whose name was often abbreviated to C. L. Brown, was a welfare capitalist and benefactor of the community of Abilene, Kansas. A pioneer in Kansas electrification and telephony, Brown consolidated and expanded many early telephone systems, power generation plants, and electrical distribution systems in Kansas and other states. One of his legacy companies, United Telecommunications, merged with Southern Pacific Communications to form Sprint Corporation. Parts of his social legacy endure two miles south of Abilene in the Brown Memorial Home for the Aged and in Camp Brown, the Coronado Area Council scout camp at Abilene. Brown's mill/power dam on Turkey Creek is still a cornerstone of the adjoining Brown Memorial Park.

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Early life

Brown's father, Jacob Brown10 was a grist mill owner.1112 Brown lost his arm when he was ten in a mill accident.13141516 He had worked as a teacher and also managed a creamery in Wichita.1718 Brown first built a local electric company, Abilene Electric Light Works19 to generate electricity from the Smoky Hill River.2021

Entrepreneurship and philanthropy

Cleyson Brown founded the Brown Telephone Company in 189922 in Abilene, Kansas with his brother Jacob Brown.232425 The local request to start a phone company to challenge the local Bell Telephone company was only five years after the Bell Telephone patents had expired. It is lately known as Sprint.2627282930

Other ventures

Brown then ventured into shoe stores, grocery stores, gravel and sand company, hotels, news service, and broadcast station, insurance companies and oil concerns creating an empire.3132

He also formed the Brown Memorial Foundation (1926)33 in memory of his parents.3435 A park in around 200 acres was built for the public for free,36 which included an amusement park with a lake, zoo, golf course, tennis courts, and other attractions.3738

References

  1. Kathy Hageman. "A bridge to remember". Abilene Reflector Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.abilene-rc.com/news/a-bridge-to-remember/article_582e0d26-6f0b-11e8-a63b-eb9d5dd1449c.html ↩

  2. "Calling all phone fans: The Museum of Independent Telephony has your number". kansascity. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.kansascity.com/living/travel/article20663538.html ↩

  3. "Eisenhower Presidential Library". www.eisenhower.archives.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/all_about_ike/abilene_years/ikes_abilene/us_sprint.html ↩

  4. "Cleyson Brown 2001 - School of Business | Emporia State University". www.slim.emporia.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.slim.emporia.edu/business/community/kbhf/historical/cleyson-brown-2001.html ↩

  5. Sondra van Meter McCoy (Summer 1982). "Patriarch of Abilene: Cleyson L. Brown and the United Empire, 1898-1935" (PDF). Kansas History. Kansas Historical Society: 107–119. Retrieved 2019-06-29. ... or C. L. Brown, as many people called him, ... https://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/1982summer_mccoy.pdf ↩

  6. Sondra van Meter McCoy (Summer 1982). "Patriarch of Abilene: Cleyson L. Brown and the United Empire, 1898-1935" (PDF). Kansas History. Kansas Historical Society: 107–119. Retrieved 2019-06-29. ... or C. L. Brown, as many people called him, ... https://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/1982summer_mccoy.pdf ↩

  7. Sean Buckley. "Cleyson Brown, founder of Brown Telephone, the precursor to Sprint". FierceTelecom. Retrieved 2019-06-29. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/special-report/cleyson-brown-founder-brown-telephone-precursor-to-sprint ↩

  8. Sondra van Meter McCoy (Summer 1982). "Patriarch of Abilene: Cleyson L. Brown and the United Empire, 1898-1935" (PDF). Kansas History. Kansas Historical Society: 107–119. Retrieved 2019-06-29. ... or C. L. Brown, as many people called him, ... https://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/1982summer_mccoy.pdf ↩

  9. "Brown Park Waterfall". Kansas Travel. Retrieved 2019-06-29. http://kansastravel.org/brownsparkwaterfall.htm ↩

  10. "Cleyson Brown 2001 - School of Business | Emporia State University". www.slim.emporia.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.slim.emporia.edu/business/community/kbhf/historical/cleyson-brown-2001.html ↩

  11. "Cleyson Brown, founder of Brown Telephone, the precursor to Sprint Mobile | FierceTelecom". www.fiercetelecom.com. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/special-report/cleyson-brown-founder-brown-telephone-precursor-to-sprint ↩

  12. "Cleyson Brown, founder of Brown Telephone, the precursor to Sprint - …". archive.li. 2013-06-29. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://archive.today/20130629050105/http://www.fiercetelecom.com/special-reports/19-people-who-changed-face-wireline-telecom-industry/cleyson-brown-founder-brown-tel ↩

  13. "Cleyson Brown, founder of Brown Telephone, the precursor to Sprint Mobile | FierceTelecom". www.fiercetelecom.com. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/special-report/cleyson-brown-founder-brown-telephone-precursor-to-sprint ↩

  14. Kathy Hageman. "A bridge to remember". Abilene Reflector Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.abilene-rc.com/news/a-bridge-to-remember/article_582e0d26-6f0b-11e8-a63b-eb9d5dd1449c.html ↩

  15. "Eisenhower Presidential Library". www.eisenhower.archives.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/all_about_ike/abilene_years/ikes_abilene/us_sprint.html ↩

  16. "Cleyson Brown, founder of Brown Telephone, the precursor to Sprint - …". archive.li. 2013-06-29. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://archive.today/20130629050105/http://www.fiercetelecom.com/special-reports/19-people-who-changed-face-wireline-telecom-industry/cleyson-brown-founder-brown-tel ↩

  17. "Cleyson Brown 2001 - School of Business | Emporia State University". www.slim.emporia.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.slim.emporia.edu/business/community/kbhf/historical/cleyson-brown-2001.html ↩

  18. Zink, Adrian (2017-11-06). Hidden History of Kansas. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625858894. 9781625858894 ↩

  19. "Cleyson Brown 2001 - School of Business | Emporia State University". www.slim.emporia.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.slim.emporia.edu/business/community/kbhf/historical/cleyson-brown-2001.html ↩

  20. "Cleyson Brown, founder of Brown Telephone, the precursor to Sprint Mobile | FierceTelecom". www.fiercetelecom.com. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/special-report/cleyson-brown-founder-brown-telephone-precursor-to-sprint ↩

  21. "Cleyson Brown, founder of Brown Telephone, the precursor to Sprint - …". archive.li. 2013-06-29. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://archive.today/20130629050105/http://www.fiercetelecom.com/special-reports/19-people-who-changed-face-wireline-telecom-industry/cleyson-brown-founder-brown-tel ↩

  22. "Cleyson Brown 2001 - School of Business | Emporia State University". www.slim.emporia.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.slim.emporia.edu/business/community/kbhf/historical/cleyson-brown-2001.html ↩

  23. "Cleyson Brown, founder of Brown Telephone, the precursor to Sprint Mobile | FierceTelecom". www.fiercetelecom.com. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/special-report/cleyson-brown-founder-brown-telephone-precursor-to-sprint ↩

  24. "Cover Story: A timeline of Sprint's transitions, from switchboards to T-Mobile". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2018/05/18/sprint-history-transitions-tmobile-merger.html ↩

  25. "Cleyson Brown, founder of Brown Telephone, the precursor to Sprint - …". archive.li. 2013-06-29. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://archive.today/20130629050105/http://www.fiercetelecom.com/special-reports/19-people-who-changed-face-wireline-telecom-industry/cleyson-brown-founder-brown-tel ↩

  26. "Cleyson Brown, founder of Brown Telephone, the precursor to Sprint Mobile | FierceTelecom". www.fiercetelecom.com. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/special-report/cleyson-brown-founder-brown-telephone-precursor-to-sprint ↩

  27. "Calling all phone fans: The Museum of Independent Telephony has your number". kansascity. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.kansascity.com/living/travel/article20663538.html ↩

  28. "Cleyson Brown 2001 - School of Business | Emporia State University". www.slim.emporia.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.slim.emporia.edu/business/community/kbhf/historical/cleyson-brown-2001.html ↩

  29. "The Robinson Library, where knowledge unlocks a world of possibilities". www.robinsonlibrary.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2006. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20061024050425/http://www.robinsonlibrary.com/index.htm ↩

  30. Slaton, Hunter (2006-09-22). Vault Guide to the Top Telecom Employers. Vault Inc. ISBN 9781581314038. 9781581314038 ↩

  31. "Eisenhower Presidential Library". www.eisenhower.archives.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/all_about_ike/abilene_years/ikes_abilene/us_sprint.html ↩

  32. "Cleyson Brown 2001 - School of Business | Emporia State University". www.slim.emporia.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.slim.emporia.edu/business/community/kbhf/historical/cleyson-brown-2001.html ↩

  33. "Cleyson Brown 2001 - School of Business | Emporia State University". www.slim.emporia.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.slim.emporia.edu/business/community/kbhf/historical/cleyson-brown-2001.html ↩

  34. "Calling all phone fans: The Museum of Independent Telephony has your number". kansascity. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.kansascity.com/living/travel/article20663538.html ↩

  35. Zink, Adrian (2017-11-06). Hidden History of Kansas. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625858894. 9781625858894 ↩

  36. "Calling all phone fans: The Museum of Independent Telephony has your number". kansascity. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.kansascity.com/living/travel/article20663538.html ↩

  37. Kathy Hageman. "A bridge to remember". Abilene Reflector Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-09-25. http://www.abilene-rc.com/news/a-bridge-to-remember/article_582e0d26-6f0b-11e8-a63b-eb9d5dd1449c.html ↩

  38. "Calling all phone fans: The Museum of Independent Telephony has your number". kansascity. Retrieved 2018-09-25. https://www.kansascity.com/living/travel/article20663538.html ↩