Lee P. Brown

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Lee P. Brown
Lee P. Brown
In office
January, 1993 – December 12, 1995
President Bill Clinton
Preceded by Bob Martinez
Succeeded by Barry McCaffrey
In office
January 2, 1998 – January 2, 2004
Preceded by Bob Lanier
Succeeded by Bill White
Born October 3, 1937 (1937-10-03) (age 70)
Wewoka, Oklahoma
Political party Democratic
Spouse Frances Young
Alma mater Fresno State University
San José State University
University of California, Berkeley
Profession Criminologist, Educator, Security Consultant

Dr. Lee Patrick Brown (born October 4, 1937) had a successful career in law enforcement for almost four decades before being elected as the first African-American mayor of Houston, Texas on December 6, 1997. He served the maximum of three terms from 1998 to 2004 and was succeeded by Bill White. Brown is married to Frances Young (his second wife), a teacher in the Houston Independent School District.

Contents

[edit] Background, education and career

His parents Andrew and Zelma Brown were share croppers. A high school athlete, Brown became a police officer in San Jose, California in 1960, graduating that same year from Fresno State University with a B.S. in criminology. He went on to earn a master's degree in sociology from San José State University in 1964, becoming assistant professor there in 1968. At the University of California, Berkeley, he earned a second master's in criminology in 1968, becoming chairman and professor of the Department of Administration of Justice at Portland State University in the same year. He earned a D.Crim. doctorate in criminology from Berkeley in 1970. In 1972, he was appointed associate director of the Institute of Urban Affairs and Research and professor of Public Administration and director of Criminal Justice programs at Howard University. In 1974, Brown was named Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon and in 1976 became director of the Department of Justice Services. As public safety commissioner of Atlanta, Georgia from 1978 to 1982, Brown and his staff solved the Atlanta Child Murders case.

Lee Brown also served on the national scene as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (or "Drug Czar") for the Clinton administration. He was confirmed by the Senate with a unanimous vote and was sworn-in to the cabinet-level post on June 21, 1993.

Prior to his Confirmation as ONDCP Director, Dr. Brown was a Professor at Texas Southern University and Director of the university's Black Male Initiative Program.

Brown, to most Houstonians, was the first African American who was appointed as the Police Chief to the City of Houston under Kathy Whitmire's administration, and the first African American mayor in the City of Houston. He was the second African-American to campaign for mayor; Texas State Representative Sylvester Turner campaigned in 1991 until the runoff election - he lost to Bob Lanier in the midst of an investigative report by KTRK-TV (ABC13).

Brown is past President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is involved in a number of professional and community organizations.

Brown pioneered the concept of Community Policing while serving as Police Chief in Houston. Brown [1] took the concept to New York City as Police Commissioner where he implemented it City wide and after one year, crime went down in every category. That was the start of the most drastic reduction of crime in the history of that City.

Brown is known through the law enforcement community as the Father of Community Policing.

Brown presided over what many say was the most prosperous six year period in the history of the City. Under his leadership,the city started its first light rail system, obtained voter approval for its extension, along with increases in bus service, park and ride, and HOV lanes; opened three new state-of-the-art professional sports facilities; revitalized the downtown area; constructed the City's first convention center hotel, and doubled the size of the convention center; constructed the Hobby Center of the Performing Arts; built and renovated new libraries,police and fire stations; undertook a $2.9 billion development program at the City's airport system that consisted of new terminals and runways; a consolidated car rental facility; in addition to renovating other terminals and runways; built a new water treatment plant; advanced the City's affirmative action program; installed programs in all City libraries so everyone could have access to the Internet; built the state-of-the-art Houston Emergency Communications Center; implemented e-government and opened new parks. Many of the projects were planned or started by previous mayor Bob Lanier, who served until term limits.

Brown led trade missions for the business community to other countries and promoted international trade. He increased the number of foreign consulates.

Brown is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. He is also a member of Sigma Pi Phi, an African American fraternity for those who have achieved distinction in their chosen profession.

Brown is a co-founder of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). Currently, Brown is chairman and CEO of Brown Group International, which develops solutions to complex problems in public safety, home land security, crisis management, government relations, international trade, and other concerns.

[edit] 2001 Campaign

Brown undertook a massive program to reconstructive the downtown street system and replacement the aging underground utility system. The heavy roadway reconstruction in Houston's downtown area and accompanying traffic problems was made a campaign issue by his opponent. In 2001 Brown narrowly survived a reelection challenge and runoff against city councilman Orlando Sanchez, who campaigned against Brown's handling of Houston roadways. Sanchez' supporters made issue of poor street conditions, campaigning that the "P stands for Pothole," referencing Brown's middle initial. Sanchez himself used a Hummer adorned with the banner "With Brown in Town it's the only way to get around" as his campaign vehicle.

Sanchez used the media publicity where a Houston firefighter's death in the line of duty resulted in endorsements from the fire/emergency medical services sector. Brown was endorsed by the Houston Police Officers' Association.

The Brown-Sanchez election produced heated rhetoric and involvement from several national political figures. Brown received the endorsement of former president Bill Clinton while Sanchez was endorsed by president George W. Bush, former president and Mrs Bush, Rudy Giuliani and a host of other republicans. Some members of the President's cabinet campaigned for Sanchez in Houston. The contest also produced racial undertones as Sanchez, a Cuban American vying to become the first Hispanic mayor of Houston, challenged Brown, the city's first African American mayor. Brown's campaign drafted family members of murder victim James Byrd Jr. for taped political ads accusing Sanchez of racial insensitivity towards Blacks for failing to support a hate crimes law. Sanchez, in turn, accused Brown of playing the race card against Hispanic voters.

Voting split heavily on racial lines with a majority of Hispanic and Anglo voters supporting Sanchez and a majority of African Americans and Asians supporting Brown. Brown narrowly won reelection by a margin of three percentage point following heavy voter turnout in predominantly Black precincts, compared to relatively light turnout in Hispanic precincts.

Brown's 2001 reelection was one of the last major political campaigns supported by the Houston-based Enron Corporation, which collapsed in a financial scandal only days after Brown's reelection. Just weeks prior, Enron executives including Ken Lay, along with other members of the Houston business community, hosted reelection fundraisers for Brown and published their endorsements of his candidacy in print advertisements.

[edit] Career timeline

[edit] Awards

  • 1993 - Gallup Hall of Fame by Gallup, Inc.
  • 1992 - Cartier Pasha Award from Cartier International
  • 1991 - Father of the Year by the National Father's Day Committee

[edit] Education

[edit] Publications

Police appointments
Preceded by
Richard J. Condon		 NYPD Commissioner
1990-1992		 Succeeded by
Raymond W. Kelly
Government offices
Preceded by
Bob Martinez		 Director of the National Drug Control Policy
1993–1995		 Succeeded by
Barry McCaffrey
Political offices
Preceded by
Bob Lanier		 Mayor of Houston, Texas
1998–2004		 Succeeded by
Bill White
v • d • e
Directors of National Drug Control Policy
Bennett • Martinez • Brown • McCaffrey • Walters