William J. Brown

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William J. Brown was elected Ohio Attorney General in 1970 and served until leaving office in January 1983 following the results of the 1982 election. Brown was elected as a Democrat. Brown's tenure in office is one of the longest on record for the Ohio Attorney General's office.

While in office, Brown emphasized consumer rights and created the state's first Consumer Protection section. Brown also successfully sued General Motors in the late 1970s for failing to disclose that automobile manufacturer deployed Chevrolet built engines into more expensive Oldsmobile brand cars; the settlement included compensation paid to owners of Oldsmobiles who bought new cars from Oldsmobile dealers in 1977 and 1978 equipped with the Chevrolet V8 engines.

Brown was from Mahoning County, Ohio. He remained active in Ohio politics through the 1990s and last considered a run for statewide office in 1994.