Vigor Brown - Professional Career

Professional Career

Brown learned the trade of a wholesale merchant (clothing) at the firm Sargood, King and Sargood in Melbourne. He came to Wellington in 1875. For two years, he worked for the Wellington firm of A. P. Stewart and Company as a travelling sales person. His next employment brought him to Napier, where he remained for the rest of his life. He became branch manager for Archibald Clark and Sons, an importing company. He resigned from that position in May 1898 and took on the management of Neal and Close, where he was managing director at a later point. He formed his own company, J. Vigor Brown and Co. He was further managing director of White Swan Brewery, and Hawke's Bay Soap and Tannery. He was a director of the Napier Gas Company. He was the local agent for the United and Phoenix Fire Insurance Companies.