Eva Maria Brown (December 27, 1856 – February 12, 1917) was an American social reformer who worked to promote temperance, which means reducing alcohol use. She was the only woman in New England during her time who was officially registered as a legislative agent and counsel. This role allowed her to hold hearings before Massachusetts government committees and to question witnesses. Brown wrote a book titled Laws of Massachusetts relating to intoxicating liquors (1905), which became a standard reference in court cases and was published in eleven editions.

Early life and education

Eva Maria Brown was born in Camden, Maine, on December 27, 1856. She was the only child of John and Matilda Jane (Mathews) Brown. When she was two years old, her family moved to Liberty, Maine. Her father, John Brown, 2d, who was born in Palermo, Maine, joined the army during the Civil War. He was assigned to the Third Maine Regiment and later transferred to the Seventeenth. The difficult conditions of military life led to illness, from which he died in City Point, Virginia, in 1864, after thirteen months of service. His wife, Matilda J. Brown, who was born in 1830 in Lincolnville, Maine, was the daughter of Archibald and Betsey (Knights) Mathews.

After Mr. Brown's death, his wife moved from Liberty to Augusta, Maine, where her daughter received her education. While attending high school in Augusta, Brown was a classmate of Harriet and Alice, the daughters of James G. Blaine. She graduated from Augusta High School with high honors and was recognized as one of the top students in her class.

Early in her life, Brown received basic training in temperance work. As a child, she joined a Cold Water Temple organized in Augusta by General Joshua Nye. She held the position of Chief Templar for several terms. After leaving high school, she moved with her mother to Massachusetts.

Career

Brown's work with the temperance movement in Massachusetts began in the fall of 1878, when she started working for Henry Hardwick Faxon, a temperance reformer. At that time, Faxon was very influential, leading strong efforts to stop the sale of alcohol and promote moral behavior and strong families in the state. Around this time, Brown joined groups like the Sons of Temperance and the Good Templars, where she reached the highest positions. Her job with Faxon started as an assistant clerk. Her skills were quickly noticed, and Faxon promoted her to chief clerk. In 1884, she became the private secretary to Henry Munroe Faxon (1864–1949), the son of Henry H. Faxon.

In 1889, Brown became chief clerk of the Constitutional Prohibitory Amendment Campaign Committee, which was led by Colonel Edward H. Haskell of Newton. She managed the group’s letters and assigned speakers for events.

About 1892, Brown began working at the Massachusetts State House. At first, she disliked the public attention her work required, but she soon learned the details of how the legislature operated. The respect she received from lawmakers and the help they provided were important to her success. From 1898 to 1904, she spent much of the legislative session time reviewing bills related to alcohol laws, Sunday laws, and other topics. At that time, Brown was the only woman in New England registered as a legislative agent and advisor. This role allowed her to conduct hearings for committees and question witnesses. In 1896, she led a major hearing at the State House when a bill about using liquor license fees for the state was being discussed.

On March 22, 1902, Brown officially became the manager of the Faxon Political Temperance Bureau, though she had already directed Faxon’s work for several years. During Faxon’s efforts to enforce liquor laws in Quincy, he brought more than 500 cases to court, and Brown took testimony in most of them in both courts. This experience helped her greatly, and she used it in her later work.

The Faxon Political Temperance Bureau’s work involved nearly endless letters and covered more aspects of the temperance movement than any other group. Brown kept in constant contact with local officials and citizens interested in enforcing laws. She also prepared and edited many circulars, pamphlets, and newspaper articles. She wrote The Laws of Massachusetts relating to intoxicating liquors (Boston, 1905), a book that became a standard reference in legal cases and was published in eleven editions.

Brown was a director of the Massachusetts Total Abstinence Society and served on all its important committees. She was the clerk of the organization for many years and resigned in 1901. She was also a trustee of the Massachusetts Anti-Saloon League and a member of the International Order of the King’s Daughters and Sons.

In 1910, she retired from active work.

Personal life

On August 27, 1900, in Boston, she married Bertraum Edwin Busteed, who was born in 1869 and died in 1946. She lived in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was involved with the First Unitarian Church in Quincy, but she also practiced Christian Science. Eva Maria Brown passed away in Quincy, Massachusetts, on February 12, 1917.

Selected works

• Laws in Massachusetts about alcoholic drinks, public problems, gambling, people who own inns and sell food, rules for Sunday, punishments for being drunk, and other related topics. Also, a summary of court decisions from the Supreme Judicial Court about these matters. (1905)