James Brown (September 11, 1766 April 7, 1835) was a lawyer, U.S. Senator from Louisiana and Minister to France. He was the brother of John Brown, the cousin of John Breckinridge, James Breckinridge and Francis Preston, the brother-in-law of Henry Clay, the uncle of James Brown Clay, Henry Clay, Jr., John Morrison Clay, the great uncle of B. Gratz Brown and the cousin-in-law of Thomas Hart Benton. Born near Staunton, Virginia, Brown attended Washington College (later Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia, and William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Frankfort, Kentucky. Brown commanded a company of sharpshooters in an expedition against the Indians in 1789.