Chief Const. Thomas Albert Brown, MBE Chief of Police
1877 - 1952 (74 years)
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Name Thomas Albert Brown [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8] Title Chief Const. Suffix MBE Chief of Police Born 12 Apr 1877 Tandragee, Armagh, Ireland 
[1, 3, 5, 7, 8] Gender Male Birth 1878 Ireland [2] Birth Apr 1879 Ireland [9] Arrival 1888 [3, 9] Age: 9 other 1888 [1] Immigration 1889 to Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario, Canada Residence 1891 Hamilton City, Ontario, Canada [2] Residence 1891 Ward 7, Hamilton City, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada Occupation 1901 Grocery Clerk Residence 1901 Ward 3, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada Residence 1901 Cité), Ontario, Canada [1] Hamilton (City/Cité) Ward/Quartier No 3, Hamilton (City Occupation 1904 joined Hamilton police force Occupation 1911 Policeman, working for the city of Hamilton Residence 1911 408 King St. W., Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada [9] Residence 1911 , Hamilton East, Ontario StreetAddress: 408King Wm; Age: 32; Occupation: Policeman; Religion: Presbyterian; CanRead: Yes; CanWrite: Yes; CountingDistrictName: 12 - Ward seven; CountingDistrictNumber: 12; CountyNumber: 77; EmploymentDetails: No; EmploymentHistory: Yes; HoursWorked: 56; Income: 818; InsuranceCost: 4200; LanguageSpoken: E; LifeInsuranceCost: 1500; OccupationCode: 3-6-60; WeeksWorked: 52; MaritalStatus: Married; RelationToHead: Head Residence 1 Jun 1921 Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada [3] Age: 12; MaritalStatus: Married; RelationToHead: Head; Occupation: Sergont Residence 1931 Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada [8] Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Head Occupation Between 1938 and 1944 Chief of Police, Hamilton, Ont. Residence Abt 1941 1 Hamilton , Ontario [10] Awards 1943 Member of the British Empire, decorated by King George VI Hobbies/Assoc. Freemasonry (Corinthian Lodge 513), Scottish Rite, Orange Lodge, Rotary Club Race Irish [3] Nationality Canadian Religion Presbyterian (1905-1920), United (1920 on -- anticipated church union) _EMPLOY City Employer: No _MILT 13th Royal Regiment, Boer War - never shipped Died 30 Mar 1952 Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada - heart attack
Buried 2 Apr 1952 White Chapel Memorial Gardens (Masonic Section 204D), Hamilton, Ont. Person ID I1975 Brown Genealogy Last Modified 19 Sep 2024
Father John Brown, b. 19 Oct 1846, Derryagh, Milltown Cl, Armagh, Ireland , d. 1 Jul 1914, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada (Age 67 years) Relationship natural Mother Sarah Cooke, b. 20 Apr 1854, Ireland , d. 18 Mar 1919, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada (Age 64 years) Relationship natural Married 26 Sep 1867 Milton, Lurgan, Armagh, Ireland [11] Family ID F515 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family Jane Ord Stewart, b. 26 Sep 1875, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada , d. 1957, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada (Age 81 years) Married 19 Oct 1904 Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada - Central Presbyterian Church, by Rev. Samuel Lyle
Children 1. John Stewart Brown, b. 28 Jun 1905, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada , d. 29 Jan 1979, Burlington, Halton, Ontario, Canada (Age 73 years) [natural]2. Margaret Ruth Brown, b. 12 Apr 1907, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada , d. Dec 1982, Prospect, Oneida, New York, USA (Age 75 years) [natural]3. Mary Helen Brown, b. 4 Dec 1912, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada , d. UNKNOWN, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada [natural]4. Florence Jean Brown, b. 9 Aug 1917, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada , d. 18 Apr 2009, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Age 91 years) [natural]Last Modified 19 Sep 2024 Family ID F569 Group Sheet | Family Chart
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Notes - According to birth records, Tom was born 12 Apr 1877, but according to his police retirement information, he turned 65 on 27 Apr 1944, making his birthday 27 Apr 1879. The latter date is more consistent with later records.
Tom immigrated from Ireland to Canada in 1888 at age 8. He was educated in Hamilton, Wentowrth, Ontario, Canada. One of his early jobs was as a grocery clerk in a German-dominated area of town. Tom taught himself to speak German while working in that store.
The 1901 census shows him as a 20 year old grocery clerk. Residing next door to him was a German family of William Belan whose resident 22-year-old brother-in-law, Edward Hasselfelt (surname unclear) was a policeman. As they were nextdoor neighbours and close in age, this could be impetus for Tom's entry onto the police force three years later.
Tom later worked as a salesman in a packing firm.
Tom was colour-sergeant of the 13th Royal Regiment, and was selected by his regiment to represent them at the coronation of Edward VII at Westminster on 9 Aug 1902.
(The 13th Battalion of Volunteer Militia established Hamilton in 1862. Between 1899 and 1902, during the Boer War, many members of the 13th served in South Africa as members of the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment and the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles. Not asked to mobilize for the war, the 13th Battalion remained in Canada and was redesignated 13th Regiment in 1900 and 13th Royal Regiment in 1910.)
On March 2, 1904, at age 24, Tom left commercial employment and joined the Hamilton City Police Force. During that same year he married Jean Stewart and began his family. On 19 Oct 1904, Tom married Jean Ord Stewart at Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton. It is not known how they met. Jean's first-cousin by marriage, Jack Cameron, was a police detective. Eight months later, on 28 June 1905, they welcomed their first child, Stewart Brown. They were living at 173 Walnut Street South in Hamilton at the time.
During the summer and fall of 1906, Hamilton experienced an extended strike action by the Hamilton Street Railway company. Saturday November 24, 1906 -- One story is recounted by Police Chief Thomas Brown who was a Constable at the time: He was assigned to ride on a streetcar from the Sanford Avenue barns to the Bayfront to protect the passengers from injury. By the time they got to King and James Streets, every window in the car was broken by demonstrators throwing rocks. Miraculously, no one was hurt, but the car never finished its run. At one point, a group rolled a large boulder on top of the car from some high point and it came through the roof of the car. Demonstrators rushed then and the car was de-railed and turned over on its side with the passengers, driver and then Police Constable Brown fleeing for their lives. (Gordon V. Torrance, Inspector (former Chief of Police), The Hamilton Police Department, Past and Present, The History of Law Enforcement in Hamilton from 1833 to 1967, dated January 1967)
The 1911 census shows Tom residing at 408 King William Street and employed as a policeman working for the city of Hamilton, working 52 hours per week and earning $1500 per year. Tom and his wife and children were also living with Jean's widowed mother, Mary Stewart (née Tait) at the time.
One newspaper source says that he served 12 years as a constable before beginning to climb the ranks. Another source mistakenly says that he was a Sergeant during the violent Hamilton street car strike of 1906. However, a Hamilton Spectator newspaper clipping dated March 6, 1919 announces his promotion to Patrol Sergeant.
In 1921, Tom was residing at 13 Lorne Ave in Hamilton with his wife, all four children, and his widowed mother-in-law, Mary Tait.
In 1924 Tom and his family moved from St. John's Presbyterian Church to Ryerson Methodist Church in anticipation of both denominations coming into Union in 1925. Thus the Brown family entered into the United Church of Canada, but their former congregation of St. John's did not enter into Union and remained Presbyterian. Tom was a member of Ryerson United Church, a former president of the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society, a 32nd degree Master mason, and a member of the Rotary Club.
Tom Brown was a prominent public figure. He had an incredibly successful and highly decorated career as a police officer in Hamilton having risen from the lowest to the highest ranking officer during his career. At work, as Chief of the Hamilton Police Department, he was described as "always kindly and sympathetic and at all times had a fatherly understanding towards junior officers". He was also a forward thinker. Tom was the Police Chief who was responsible for introducing two-way radios into the police cars. He was also strong under pressure. He was a constable during the violent Hamilton Railway Strike, and later as Chief he headed the department during the opening years of WWII where he was responsible for, what today is known as, "homeland security". In this capacity Tom oversaw "civil defense problems". Tragically, these "civil defense problems" actually involved the McCarthy-esque arrest of anyone of Italian descent in Hamilton who was even suspected of having Fascist sympathies. This racially motivated campaign resulted in enmity between the Italian community in Hamilton and the city government for years.
In 1943 Tom was awarded the honour of Member of the British Empire (what is now called The Order of Canada). "Twice during his long career he was honoured with the task of guarding his Sovereign, first at the coronation of King Edward VII and later during the visit of the King and Queen to Hamilton in 1939." (Hamilton Spectator biography, Mar. 31, 1952)
Unfortunately at home Tom was in some ways very different than his work persona, and in other ways not different enough. He did not "at all time have a fatherly understanding" towards his family. Instead he was very much the "chief" at home. His nieces described him as a "large and intimidating" man. He was "the law at work and at home" and his authority was unquestioned... or else.
Tom inherited "The Strap" from his father. This was a disciplinary device far worse than just a father's leather belt (see notes on John Brown). He used "The Strap" to excess on his son Stewart (see notes: John Stewart Brown). When "The Strap" was inherited by Tom's grandson Kenneth it showed signs of having been "thoroughly" used for several generations. By today's standard's we would describe Tom as an emotionally and physically abusive father.
According to one of Tom's grandsons, he also kept a collection of guns seized from criminals during his police career. These were stored in a box in the attic which he would show to his grandsons on occasion, and regale them with the tales of the actual crimes each gun was used in.
Tom was buried from Robinson Funeral Home and now rests in White Chapel Memorial Gardens in Hamilton.
- According to birth records, Tom was born 12 Apr 1877, but according to his police retirement information, he turned 65 on 27 Apr 1944, making his birthday 27 Apr 1879. The latter date is more consistent with later records.
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Sources - [S19] 1901 Census of Canada, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online.
Record for John Brown - [S3] 1891 Census of Canada, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2008;), Database online.
Record for John Brown - [S224] 1921 Census of Canada, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2013;), Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 98; Census Place: Hamilton (City), Wentworth, Ontario; Page Number: 8.
Record for John Brown
https://search.ancestry.ca/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=8991&h=3148631&indiv=try - [S12] Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928, 1933-1934, Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: MS 932; Reel: 931.
Record for John Stewart Brown
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=7921&h=24438103&indiv=try - [S21] 1911 Census of Canada, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Year: 1911; Census Place: 12 - Ward seven, Hamilton East, Ontario; Page: 10; Family No: 111.
Record for Johie Brown
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=8947&h=4695462&indiv=try - [S18] Ontario, Canada Births, 1858-1913, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 231; Record Group: Rg 80-2.
Record for Mary Helen Brown
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=8838&h=2631935&indiv=try - [S251] Ireland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1620-1911, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT; Date: 2011;).
Record for Thomas Brown
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=2533&h=638886&indiv=try - [S2569] 1931 Census of Canada, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2023;), Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Seventh Census of Canada, 1931; Folder Number: T-27267; Census Place: Hamilton East, Ontario, Canada.
- [S21] 1911 Census of Canada, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online.
Record for Margaret Brown - [S475] Canada, Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2021;).
- [S219] Ireland, Select Marriages, 1619-1898, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2014;).
Record for Sarah Cooke
https://search.ancestry.ca/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=9904&h=1102936&indiv=try
- [S19] 1901 Census of Canada, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online.