House of Browning

Johnathan Edward Browning

1859-1939

Ed Browning was the eldest son of Johnathan and Ann Browning, and half-brother to John Moses and Matt. After his father’s death in 1879 Ed left a job with the railroad to assist John and Matt, who had turned their father’s sleepy shop into a bustling repair business. Ed proved to be a skilled machinist and became an expert at turning John’s ideas into physical parts, fabricating nearly every prototype that came out of the Ogden workshop. As John and Matt became involved in other ventures, Ed rose to manager of the Ogden branch of the Browning Brothers Company. During the Great War he oversaw development and production of John’s designs for the war department. He remained with the Browning Arms Company developing firearms and received several patents of his own for an automatic rifle.

Patents: