Ron Brown

• Born: August 1, 1941
• Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
• Died: April 3, 1996
• Place of death: near Dubrovnik, Croatia

Politician and lawyer

Brown became the first African American to serve as secretary of commerce when he was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1992. A longtime political operative, he worked on the presidential campaigns of Senator Ted Kennedy and the Reverend Jesse Jackson and also served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Early Life

Ronald Harmon Brown was born on August 1, 1941, in Washington, D.C., the only child of William and Gloria Osborne Brown. In 1947, the Brown family moved to New York City, where William secured a position as manager of the Hotel Theresa. Located in Harlem, the Hotel Theresa was known for its many famous guests. It was there that Brown, at the age of thirteen, had the privilege of meeting and shaking hands with senator and future president Richard Nixon.

After graduating from high school in 1958, Brown continued his education at Middlebury College in Vermont. He was the only African American student in the college’s freshman class. Brown was very active in various organizations during his college years, including the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and Sigma Phi Epsilon. After graduating from Middlebury in 1962 with a political science degree, Brown married Alma Arrington. That same year, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve. However, before reporting for basic training, Brown studied briefly at the St. John’s University School of Law.

Once his basic training was completed, Brown was stationed in Kassel, Germany. In 1965, Brown and his wife welcomed their first child, Michael. The family remained in Germany until 1966, when Brown was transferred to Korea. By this time, he had been promoted to captain and was charged with escorting the motorcade of President Lyndon B. Johnson during his visit to Korea in October of 1966. After leaving the Army in 1967, Brown returned to St. John’s University to complete his law degree. That year, his wife gave birth to their second child, Tracey.

Life’s Work

While in law school, Brown was hired by the National Urban League. In 1972, Vernon Jordan selected Brown as the league’s general counsel. Four years later, Brown became the league’s deputy executive director, a position he would hold until 1979, when he left to work for Senator Ted Kennedy’s unsuccessful presidential campaign.

After the presidential race of 1980 ended, Kennedy appointed Brown as chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Later, Kennedy helped Brown secure a job at the law firm Patton Boggs & Blow, where he became the firm’s first African American partner. In 1981, Brown was appointed deputy chair of the Democratic National committee. Highly regarded for his skills in negotiation, Brown was hired as the Reverend Jesse Jackson’s campaign manager during the 1988 presidential campaign. Although Jackson lost the Democratic nomination for president, Brown’s hard work did not go unrecognized. In 1989, he became the first African American chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

In 1992, President Bill Clinton nominated Brown for secretary of commerce. He became the first African American to hold this cabinet-level position. As commerce secretary, Brown headed several trade missions to various countries, including Russia, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Croatia. The purpose of these missions was to foster relationships with the countries’ economic leaders and to stimulate trade.

In the spring of 1996, Clinton sent Brown and several delegates to meet with the Croatian president in the city of Dubrovnik on April 3. While traveling to the meeting, Brown’s plane crashed into the mountains, killing everyone on board. To honor his memory, the St. John’s University Law School established the Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development.

Significance

Brown was instrumental in breaking down trade barriers and opening up new markets for the United States. A skilled negotiator, he was able to unite the Democratic Party and improve diplomatic relations between the United States and other nations. Brown’s charisma and ability to work in an environment resistant to change won him admiration among his peers.

Bibliography

Brown, Tracey L. The Life and Times of Ron Brown: A Memoir by His Daughter. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Brown’s daughter recalls his life and accomplishments in law and politics.

Cashill, Jack. Ron Brown’s Body: How One Man’s Death Saved the Clinton Presidency and Hillary’s Future. Nashville, Tenn.: WND Books, 2004. This account of the life of Brown focuses more on his political career than his early life.

Holmes, Steven A. Ron Brown: An Uncommon Life. New York: Wiley, 2001. This biography tells the life of Brown from the time he was born until his death in 1996 while on a trade mission to Croatia.

U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Nomination of Ronald Harmon Brown to be Secretary of Commerce: Hearing Before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 103d Congress, 1st session, 1993. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993. Transcript of Brown’s Senate confirmation hearing.

U.S. Congress. Senate. Office of the Secretary. Memorial Tributes Delivered in Congress: Ronald H. Brown, 1941-1996, Secretary of Commerce. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1997. Transcript of tributes given by members of Congress in honor of Brown.