The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 300

HARRY G. BROWN.

Harry G. Brown is well known as a representative of the automobile trade in the
Yakima valley, being a member of the Hesse & Brown Motor Car Company. He was
born in Louisiana on the 15th of July, 1876, and is a son of M. F. and Mary E.
Brown. The father passed away in the year 1905, but the mother is living, making
her home with her daughter, Mrs. E. M. Turner, of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Harry G. Brown acquired his education in the State Normal School of Louisiana.
He left home as a boy and traveled in thirty-seven different states of the
Union, learning the machinist's trade and ultimately becoming a steam engineer.
He developed his native talents and powers in this connection, for he is of a
mechanical trend and easily masters problems of that character. He became
connected with the automobile trade in 1905 in Nevada, working for others for
some time. In October 1912, he came to Yakima, Washington, and organized the
Hesse & Brown Motor Car Company on the 15th of September, 1915, in association
with Walter Hesse. They established their business at No. 15 North Third street,
where they did repairing and overhauling. In August, 1916, they removed to the
corner of Front and A streets and extended the scope of their business to
include a line of accessories in connection with their garage and repair shop.
In March, 1917, they accepted the agency for the Dort automobile and for the
National car and later added the Moline truck and the Stephens Salient Six, also
the Moline one-man tractor. Their business has grown rapidly and they have
enlarged their quarters, now having three floors of a building one hundred by
seventy feet. Something of the extent of their patronage is indicated in the
fact that they now employ fifteen people. Mr. Hesse has become a member of
Company C of the Second Battalion of the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Depot
Brigade with the National army, while Mr. Brown remains as manager of the
business. In fact he has occupied that position since its establishment and the
growing success of the firm has been largely due to his efforts and enterprise
as well as his mechanical skill. An indication as to the rapid development of
their business is given in the fact that in 1918 their trade amounted to over
two hundred thousand dollars.

Mr. Brown's gift as an inventor has been mentioned before and referring to it,
it should be stated here that in 1918 he brought out and patented a rotary gas
engine which is the first of its kind and which undoubtedly will compel the
attention of aeroplane, marine engine and stationery engine manufacturers. Its
principal points are that there is no crank, no fly wheel, no timing or other
gear, no magneto and no dead center it being so constructed that it is off of
dead at all times. Mr. Brown closely applied himself for some years to bringing
out this engine and has succeeded despite many setbacks.

On the 15th of May, 1913, Mr. Brown was married to Miss Frances Wattle of
Yakima, and they had four children, of whom three are living: Florence Lucile,
Reta and Joseph Harry. Theresa died at the age of three months. Mr. Brown is a
member of the Yakima Valley Business Men's Association and also of the Auto
Dealers' Association, organizations that further the interests of trade and
commerce and have to do with the material upbuilding of the city. His political
allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and while he gives to it stalwart
support because of his belief in its principles, he does not seek nor desire
office his attention being concentrated upon his business affairs.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.