George E. Brown, Jr.
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| George E. Brown Jr. | |
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United States Representative from
California's 29th District 1963-71, 38th District 1973-75, 36th District 1975-93, 42nd District 1993-99 district |
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| In office Served 18 terms, 1963-1971 and 1973-1999 |
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| Born | March 6, 1920 Holtville, CA |
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| Died | July 15th, 1999 Bethesda, MD |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
George E. Brown, Jr. (March 6, 1920 - July 15, 1999), American politician, was a Democrat member of the United States House of Representatives 1963-1971 and 1973-1999, representing California
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[edit] Background
Mr. Brown graduated from Holtville Union High School in 1935. He attended El Centro Junior College (1938) and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, CA in 1946. For twelve years he was employed by the city of Los Angleles, CA in personnel and engineering. In 1957, he became a management consultant. Mr. Brown served in the United States Army from 1944-1946.
[edit] Political Career
George Brown became mayor and city councilman of Monterey Park, CA, 1954-1958. He was a member of the California state assembly from 1959-1962. In 1963, he was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1963-January 3, 1971). In 1970, Congressman Brown unsuccessfully ran for nomination to the United States Senate. He returned to the House and was elected to the Ninety-third and to the thirteen succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1973-July 15, 1999). In 102 and 103rd congresses, he served as chairman to the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, which is now the House Committee on Science
Congressman George E. Brown, Jr. passed on July 15, 1999, while serving his 18th term in the House. The Congressman died from an infection developed following heart valve replacement surgery in May of that year. He was 79. At the time of his death, Brown was the Ranking Democratic Member on the House Science Committee and a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee. He was the oldest current House member and the longest serving member of the House or Senate in the history of his home state of California.
[edit] Legislative record
"I was interested in science before I even knew what science was."
George E. Brown, Jr.
Congressman Brown was known as a champion for science. He left behind a deep and expansive legacy that has shaped science and science policy in America. Among some of his many accomplishments as Chair of the House Science Committee:
- Established the Office of Science and Technology Policy
- Established the Environmental Protection Agency
- Established the (now defunct) Office of Technology Assessment
Outside of his many science accomplishments, Congressman Brown also had a hand in many important events and issues of his day. Brown fought for passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act. He was also one of the first outspoken critics of the Vietnam War. He voted against every defense spending bill during the Vietnam era.
[edit] Legacy
Because of his strong commitment to science, Congressman Brown has been honored by several science and policy related organizations and had laboratories, libraries and bills named in his honor, including:
- George E. Brown Salinity Laboratory
- George E. Brown Jr. Library, National Academies of Science
- George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES)
- H.R. 1022: George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey Act (which was rolled into S.1281, the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, and is now law
