J.G. Brown was born in Lakefield, Ontario and received his university and theological education in Toronto. After a few years in pastoral work in Ontario, he came to British Columbia where he ministered in several congregations, including his last charge of Ryerson Church in Kerrisdale, Vancouver. From here he was appointed to the Principalship of Ryerson Theological College and when, in 1927, Ryerson College and Westminster Hall were merged, he became the first Principal of Union College of British Columbia. Under his administration the main Union College buildings of the campus were erected and he successfully faced the difficult task of guiding the College through the period of depression and then through World War II. After his retirement in 1948, he lived for three years in Oxford, England until his return to British Columbia, where he assumed the pastorate of the Church of Our Lord in Victoria.
From the description of J.G. Brown fonds. 1917-1933. (University of British Columbia Library). WorldCat record id: 606455742
