Charles Edward Brown was born to Elizabeth Charlotte Brown and Theodore Dewitt Brown in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 24, 1872. Information regarding his early life and education was not available to this writer. Between 1893 and 1896 Brown served as a member of the Wisconsin National Guard. In 1900 he became an assistant at the Milwaukee Public Museum. While in Milwaukee, Brown was instrumental in reorganizing the Wisconsin Natural History Society. In 1904 Brown served as Curator of the United States Philippine Exposition at the St. Louis World Fair.
Brown devoted most of his life to the study and preservation of Wisconsin archaeology, folklore, history, and Indian relics. He published pamphlets and booklets on a wide range of subjects, including edible mushrooms, Indian remains and legends, river tales, Paul Bunyan, and wildlife. Brown was responsible for uncovering, preserving, and marking many Wisconsin Indian mounds, villages, spirit stones, art forms, and implements. He organized and conducted various Wisconsin Archeological Society surveys and served as the Society's secretary from 1901 to 1942. During that period Brown edited 42 volumes of the Society's publications.
In 1908 Brown became director of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin's museum in Madison, a post he held until his retirement in 1944. Brown was the museum's first full-time curator. When he took over, the museum had about 25,000 specimens, including portraits and statues. At the time of his retirement the museum listed 200,000 items, not including portraits, statues, or pictures. During his tenure as museum director, Brown organized museum education work, resulting in the instruction of nearly 10,000 public school and university students annually. He also assisted in organizing county and municipal historical museums.
In 1915 Brown was named to the faculty of the University of Wisconsin. He was a member of the faculty until his retirement, teaching courses in anthropology and museum administration. During the depression Brown became director of the Wisconsin Federal Writers Project. He served in that capacity from 1935 to 1938.
In addition to those listed above, Brown was active in a variety of other anthropological organizations. During his career he served as president of the central section of the American Anthropological Association, member of the advisory board of the National Gallery of the American Indian (1939), president of the Wisconsin Museum Conference (1941), and vice-president of the Midwest Museum Conference (1941). He was also president of the Lake Mendota Wild Life Sanctuary Society and president of Paul Bunyan's Trusty Recorders.
Brown was the recipient of a variety of awards for his work. In 1904 he received the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Medal, in 1926 the Lapham Medal for anthropological research, and in 1941 a medal from the Illinois Academy of Science for archaeological research. In 1931 the University of Wisconsin awarded Brown an honorary M.A.
Brown married Bertha Rose Stredy in 1902. They had two children, Theodore Taggart and Lorraine Charlotte. In 1937 Brown married his second wife, Dorothy Moulding Miller. They had one daughter, Priscilla. Brown died in Madison on February 15, 1946, at the age of 73.
