Dr. Brown was a professor of history and dean of Roanoke College.
He was born in Pulaski County, Virginia, where he received his secondary education. He graduated from Roanoke College in 1910, after which he entered Princeton University, where he received the M.A. degree in 1911 and Ph.D. in 1913.
Dr. Brown taught first at Carnegie Institute of Technology (1913-1914) and Grove City College (1914-1918), before coming to the Roanoke College faculty in 1918. He retired in 1958.
In 1920, Dr. Brown became the first dean of the college. In his administrative post he directed the educational program at Roanoke for nearly 20 years. In 1939, he resigned the deanship to devote his full-time efforts to chair the department of history and political science.
In addition to his administrative and classroom responsibilities, Dr. Brown also played a strong role in local government. He was a member of Salem Town Council from 1934 to 1946, during which period he was mayor of Salem for four years.
Charles R. Brown received the Roanoke College Medal in 1968.