Guillermo Brown Blanco

His father Guillermo Brown Chitty

He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, the son of Guillermo Brown Chitty and Angélica Celedonia Blanco Vila, belonging to a distinguished Anglo Creole family.[2] He graduated from the Argentine Navy serving in the ranks of Argentine Confederation since 1859.[3]

In 1860 he was sent to Europe by the Government of Justo José de Urquiza to perfect his studies in naval artillery.[4] His merits in the Argentine Navy served him to join United States Navy,[5] serving on board the corsair USS Constellation he took part in the Civil War in the ranks of the Union.[6] He also was part of the crew of the USS Cambridge, commanded by the admiral David Farragut.[7]

After returning to Argentina, he continued his military career serving in the Argentine Navy where performing some logistics tasks during the Triple Alliance War. He was deputy commander of the battleship Almirante Brown, built in 1880. He retired with the rank of Captain de Fragata (lieutenant colonel).[8]

Guillermo Brown Blanco was married to Corina Caravia Gutiérrez, daughter of Bernabé Caravia Pérez and Dolores Gutiérrez Bosch, belonging to a traditional Uruguayan family. He and his wife were the parents of Guillermo Brown Caravia, a prominent officer of the Argentine Navy.[9] His paternal and maternal grandparents were William Brown and Juan Benito Blanco Farías, a politician who participated in the War of Independence.[10]

His maternal lineage links him to distinguished Uruguayan polticians and soldiers, including his cousin Isabelino Canaveris Farias, a revolutionary who served in the ranks of the Uruguayan National Party during the Uruguayan Civil War. He was also related to José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín, a well-known Uruguayan sculptor and painter, belonging to the Blanco Vila families.[11]