Val Allen Browning (August 20, 1895 – May 16, 1994) was an American industrialist, philanthropist, and third-generation gunmaker. He was president of the Browning Arms Company.
Early life Browning was born in Ogden, Utah Territory on August 20, 1895. His grandfather, Jonathan Browning, opened a gun shop in Ogden in 1852."By 1900, over 75% of the repeating sporting arms on the United States market, both lever and pump, were of John's invention." Browning Firearms Collection brochure from The American Society of Mechanical Engineers His father, John Browning, is regarded as one of the most successful firearms designers of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Browning graduated from Ogden High School in 1913 and later studied law and engineering at Cornell University.Gun Digest 2011 by Dan Shideler, Krause Publications, July 14, 2010, p. 91 As a young man he worked in the shop his grandfather had opened.Ogden's Trolley District, by Shalae Larsen, Sue Wilkerson, Arcadia Publishing, 2012, p. 98
In 1918, Browning was commissioned as a second lieutenant with the United States Army and served with the 79th Infantry Division at Verdun during World War I.
Career In 1920, he became the manager of the manufacturing of John Browning guns in Liège, Belgium, and served as his father's representative to Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. Upon his father's death in 1926, Browning had the responsibility of completing the projects that were not finished by his father, including the Browning Superposed shotgun and the Browning Hi-Power pistol (GP-35) (the latter in cooperation with his father's Belgian assistant, Dieudonné Saive).
In 1935, he returned to Utah as president of Browning Arms Company. Browning received 48 gun patents during his career. In 1955, he was awarded Knighthood in the Order of Léopold by King Baudouin of Belgium for an "outstanding contribution to the Gun Making Art."VAL A. BROWNING, INDUSTRIALIST AND PHILANTHROPIST, DIES AT 98 Deseret News, May 18, 1994
Browning spent his career representing business interests in the United States and Europe. In addition to chairing Browning Arms, he served as director of the First Security Corporation, Utah International, Amalgamated Sugar Company, and the Mountain Fuel Supply Company. Through the 1940s purchase of some of W. L. Wattis' founding shares in Utah Construction Company, Browning shared in the substantial gains in the sale of Utah International.
Personal life In 1924, Browning married Ann Chaffin (1901–1975) of Farmington, Utah. They had four children. They lived in Belgium until 1935 when they returned to Utah.
He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Browning was a benefactor of Dixie College and Weber State University. His substantial collection of European fine art formed the basis of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts masterwork paintings.
Browning died May 16, 1994, and was buried at Lindquist Washington Heights Memorial Park in Ogden, Utah.
References
Bibliography Schwing, Neil. The Browning Superposed, John M. Browning's Last Legacy.
External links
Val A. Browning Center Utah Museum of Fine Arts Obituary of son, John Val Browning - Deseret News US2401903A – Repeating firearm US2385057A – Firing mechanism for repeating firearms US2341204A – Sight for firearms