William Harvey Brown (August 22, 1862April 5, 1913) was an American naturalist who later settled in Rhodesia. Whilst studying at the University of Kansas Brown volunteered with the National Museum of Natural History and took part in collecting expeditions in the US. While employed by the Smithsonian Institution he took part in an expedition to the Belgian Congo to observe the Solar eclipse of December 22, 1889. Brown collected a wide variety of specimens for the national museum and, as a result, became known as "Curio Brown". Brown remained in South Africa after the expedition and joined the British South Africa Company's 1890 Pioneer Column expedition that annexed Mashonaland. He afterwards fought in the First Matabele War and was awarded significant tracts of land in Rhodesia. Brown was wounded during the 1896-97 rebellion in Mashonaland and returned briefly to the US where he published a book about his experiences. Brown returned to Rhodesia and was elected to the Salisbury city council, including a period as mayor, and to the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Council.
