John Robert Brown (January 14, 1842 – August 4, 1927) was a United States representative from Virginia.

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John Robert Brown
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 5th district
In office March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889
Preceded by	George Cabell
Succeeded by	Posey G. Lester
Personal details
Born	(1842-01-14)January 14, 1842 Franklin County, Virginia
Died	August 4, 1927(1927-08-04) (aged 85) Martinsville, Virginia
Political party	Republican
Profession	tobacco farmer, politician
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Unit	44th Virginia Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars	American Civil War

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Born near Snow Creek, Franklin County, Virginia, he attended private schools in Franklin and Henry Counties and entered the Confederate Army in 1861 as a private in Company D, Twenty-fourth Regiment of Virginia Volunteers. In 1870 he formed a partnership with his father in the tobacco business at Shady Grove; he moved to Martinsville, Virginia in 1882 and continued in the tobacco business. He also engaged in banking and was mayor of Martinsville from 1884 to 1888.

Brown was elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth Congress, serving from March 4, 1887, to March 3, 1889, winning 57.06% of the vote, defeating Democrat George Craighead Cabell; he unsuccessfully contested the election of Claude A. Swanson to the Fifty-fifth Congress. He reengaged in the tobacco business and retired from active business pursuits; Brown died in Martinsville, with interment in Oakwood Cemetery.^[1]