Background
From a wealthy family, he inherited coal mining operations founded by his father.
From a wealthy family, he inherited coal mining operations founded by his father.
Washington & Jefferson College.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Samuel Brown was a student at Washington & Jefferson College when he left to serve with the Union Army during the American Civil War. On February 22, 1861, Brown and Rhodes Stansbury Sutton founded the Delta Tau Delta fraternity chapter at Washington & Jefferson College, playing an instrumental role in saving the fraternity from extinction when the first Bethany College chapter closed. He would grow and expand the business, operating six coal mines supported by a fleet of barges and a controlling interest in a railroad for shipping the coal.
In addition, Brown owned several hotels in various cities around the United States.
Samuel Brown owned Senorita Stock Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. Named for his favorite mare, the breeding farm"s land is today occupied by the Kentucky Horse Park.
He also invested in the Kentucky Association horse racetrack in Lexington, and the Bascombe Race Course in Mobile, Alabama which he used as a training base for his stable of Thoroughbred runners. Samuel Brown was one of the founding executives of the Brooklyn Jockey Club which, in 1886, built the Gravesend Race Track in New New York
Other important horses owned by Samuel Brown included:
Lamplighter (b 1889) - raced at age two then sold for $30,000 to Pierre Lorillard IV
Agile (b 1902) - wins include the 1905 Kentucky Derby and Tennessee Derby
Senorita Farm is the site of the present day Kentucky Horse Park.