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The Honorable George L. Brown
Maker interview details
Interview
- January 23, 2003
Profession
- Category:
PoliticalMakers
- Occupation(s):
Lieutenant Governor
State Representative
Birthplace
- Born: July 1, 1926
- Birth Location: Lawrence, Kansas
Favorites
- Favorite Color: Blue
- Favorite Food: Potatoes (Mashed)
- Favorite Time of Year: Fall
Favorite Quote
"If I Didn't Know Better, I'd Think I Had Right Good Sense."
Biography
The Honorable George Leslie Brown was born on July 1, 1926, in Lawrence, Kansas. Growing up on a farm in Kansas, Brown was a star athlete in basketball, football and track before graduating from Lawrence Liberty Memorial High School in 1944. During World War II, he served as a Tuskegee Airman.
Brown graduated from the University of Kansas in 1950 with a B.S. in journalism. He also did graduate work at Harvard Business School, the University of Colorado and the University of Denver. For fourteen years, he worked as a writer and editor for The Denver Post and hosted his own Denver radio talk show. He was the first African American editor to work for a major daily newspaper in the Rocky Mountains. Brown served as the assistant executive director for Denver’s Public Housing Program for four years and taught at the University of Colorado and the University of Denver.
In 1955, Brown made history when he was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. He served as a state senator for eighteen years, and was reelected to five consecutive four-year terms. Then, in 1974, in the middle of his fifth Senate term, he was elected lieutenant governor, a position he held for four years. He was the nation’s first Black lieutenant governor.
In 1979, Brown joined the Grumman Corporation as vice president for marketing and was later promoted to senior vice president in charge of the firm’s regional offices, becoming the first African American corporate officer in a major U.S. aerospace company. He completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program in 1980 and worked as Grumman’s chief lobbyist in Washington, D.C., until he left Grunman in 1990. That year, Brown joined the Washington, D.C. law firm of Whitten & Diamond. In March 1994, he was named director for Prudential Securities and managed its Washington public finance office. He was a banker for Greenwich Partners from 1997 to 2000.
Brown was active on various boards and serves as a consultant and adviser for various organizations and companies. He received numerous awards and honors for his work. Brown was married to Modeen Brown. They had four daughters: Gail, Cindy, Kim and Laura.
Brown passed away on March 31, 2006 at age 79.
Previews from the Digital Archive
Watch the full interview in the Digital Archive
- Slating of George L. Brown's interview
- George L. Brown lists his favorites
- George L. Brown describes his mother's personality
- George L. Brown describes his mother's family background
- George L. Brown describes his father's family background
- George L. Brown describes his relationship with his father
- George L. Brown describes his father's personality
- George L. Brown describes how his parents met
- George L. Brown shares his father's reaction to the day he was born
- George L. Brown describes his earliest childhood memories
- George L. Brown describes the sights, sounds, and smells of his childhood
- George L. Brown describes his experience at Lincoln Elementary School and his love of learning
- George L. Brown describes his experience on his family's farm in Lawrence, Kansas
- George L. Brown describes his childhood personality
- George L. Brown lists the schools he attended in Lawrence, Kansas
- George L. Brown describes his experience studying engineering and journalism at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas
- George L. Brown describes being hired by the Denver Post
- George L. Brown describes enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1944
- George L. Brown describes his experience of segregation in the U.S. Army
- George L. Brown talks about the sports he played at Liberty Memorial High School in Lawrence, Kansas
- George L. Brown describes traveling to Biloxi, Mississippi after enlisting in the U.S. Army
- George L. Brown lists some of the Tuskegee Airmen he trained with
- George L. Brown describes being placed in college prep classes at Liberty Memorial High School in Lawrence, Kansas
- George L. Brown describes his childhood experience with the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas
- George L. Brown describes returning from the U.S. Army and attending the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas
- George L. Brown describes the differences in journalism jobs in Kansas and in Denver, Colorado
- George L. Brown talks about his promotion while at the Denver Post
- George L. Brown describes his decision to campaign for the Colorado House of Representatives
- George L. Brown describes his election to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1955
- George L. Brown describes his election to the Colorado State Senate in 1957
- George L. Brown talks about the black population in Denver, Colorado during his 1974 campaign for lieutenant governor
- George L. Brown describes how the sample ballots for his 1957 election discriminated against him
- George L. Brown describes building his coalition in Colorado
- George L. Brown talks about Barney Ford and the history of African Americans in Colorado
- George L. Brown lists his occupations while he was in the Colorado State Senate
- George L. Brown describes how he became an effective politician during his career
- George L. Brown lists others who shared his concerns
- George L. Brown describes his aversion to running for office
- George L. Brown describes using a pocket veto to pass his Fair Employment Practices Bill
- George L. Brown describes gerrymandering and redistricting in the State Senate
- George L. Brown describes changes that occurred in Denver, Colorado during his nineteen years in the state legislature
- George L. Brown describes compromising to pass his Fair Employment Practices Bill
- George L. Brown describes the relationship between politicians and the press after the Watergate Scandal
- George L. Brown lists some of the Colorado politicians who served with him on the Joint Budget Committee
- George L. Brown describes his decision to run for lieutenant governor of Colorado
- George L. Brown describes his relationship with Colorado Governor Richard "Dick" Lamm, pt. 1
- George L. Brown describes his relationship with Colorado Governor Richard "Dick" Lamm, pt. 2
- George L. Brown describes his responsibilities as lieutenant governor of Colorado
- George L. Brown describes being hired at Grumman Aerospace Corporation while serving as lieutenant governor of Colorado
- George L. Brown talks about other African American politicians in Colorado
- George L. Brown describes becoming the chief lobbyist for the Grumman Corporation
- George L. Brown describes the difference between his experience at Grumman Aerospace Corporation and being a politician
- George L. Brown reflects on becoming the chief lobbyist for Grumman Aerospace Corporation
- George L. Brown describes his experience as a lobbyist for Grumman Aerospace Corporation
- George L. Brown describes his career after leaving Grumman Aerospace Corporation
- George L. Brown reflects on getting older
- George L. Brown reflects on the money he made during his career
- George L. Brown reflects on whether he would run for political office in 2003
- George L. Brown describes the contemporary African American leaders he respects
- George L. Brown describes the qualities of a good politician
- George L. Brown talks about the United States' contemporary foreign policy
- George L. Brown describes what he would still like to do in his life
- George L. Brown talks about Colorado Congresswoman Pat Schroeder
- George L. Brown talks about HistoryMaker and Congressman Charles Rangel
- George L. Brown talks about HistoryMaker and New York Mayor David Dinkins
- George L. Brown reflects upon the decline in statewide African American elected officials
- George L. Brown reflects upon his legacy
- George L. Brown describes how he would like to be remembered
- George L. Brown reflects upon his parents
- George L. Brown describes his experience in the march from Selma to Montgomery
- George L. Brown shares his views on Political Action Committees and the Electoral College
- George L. Brown talks about promoting HistoryMaker Ed Dwight's career as a sculptor
- George L. Brown describes how Denver, Colorado became a supportive city for African American politicians
- George L. Brown reflects on how Denver, Colorado can serve as a template for other diverse cities, pt. 1
- George L. Brown reflects on how Denver, Colorado can serve as a template for other diverse cities, pt. 2
- George L. Brown narrates his photographs