He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, and spent his childhood at his parents' home in Cos Cob, Connecticut, where he was known affectionately as "Put".
He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the son of Edward Huntington Brinley and Rebecca Maitland Porter Brinley. Brinley spent his childhood at his parents' home in Cos Cob, Connecticut, where he was known affectionately as "Put".