Insurance broker, real estate agent.
Born in Russia in May 1897, son of Abraham Brown (1861-?) and Ester Brown (1861-?), he immigrated to Canada with his family in 1907 and settled at Winnipeg where he was active in soccer, hockey, and lacrosse. His working career began with a sales job at the Winnipeg Telegram, after which he was a travelling salesman in rural Manitoba. In 1927, he founded an insurance agency known as Leon A. Brown Limited. It later expanded into real estate development and sales, specializing in heritage buildings.
He and wife Cecile Moyanstern (c1904-1963) had two children: Ashley Brown (1923-1995, husband of Miriam Wiseman) and Claire Margaret Brown (1930-1997, wife of Lyle Thompson). The family lived at 340 Waterloo Street (c1931), 84 Ash Street (1935-1954), and 865 Wellington Crescent (1954-1964). He was active in the building campaign for the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue and Shaarey Zedek Day School (Ramah School). He was a member of the Glendale Golf and Country Club and the Masons (Mount Sinai Lodge).
He died at Los Angeles, California on 26 January 1964 and was buried in the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery.
1911 Canada census, Ancestry.
Birth registration [Ashley Brown], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1931 Canada census, Ancestry.
Canadian Voters Lists, 1935-1980, Ancestry.
Birth announcement [Ruth Anne Brown], Winnipeg Tribune, 8 May 1951, page 21.
Obituary [Cecile Brown], Winnipeg Tribune, 12 September 1963, page 19.
Obituary [Ashley Brown], Winnipeg Free Press, 31 March 1995, page 26.
Death registration [Claire Margaret Thompson], British Columbia Vital Statistics.
Obituary [Leon A. Brown], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 January 1964, page 23.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 13 June 2026
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