| George Brown, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 42nd district |
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| In office January 3, 1993 – July 15, 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Dana Rohrabacher |
| Succeeded by | Joe Baca |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 36th district |
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| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | William M. Ketchum |
| Succeeded by | Jane Harman |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 38th district |
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| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 |
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| Preceded by | Victor V. Veysey |
| Succeeded by | Jerry M. Patterson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 29th district |
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| In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1971 |
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| Preceded by | Dalip Singh Saund |
| Succeeded by | George E. Danielson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Edward Brown, Jr. March 6, 1920 Holtville, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 15, 1999 (aged 79) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Religion | Quaker |
George Edward Brown, Jr. (March 6, 1920 – July 15, 1999) was an American politician. He was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1963 to 1971 and from 1973 to 1999, representing Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California.
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Brown was born in Holtville, California and graduated from Holtville Union High School in 1935. He attended El Centro Junior College (1938). In 1942, he entered the Civilian Public Service as a conscientious objector. In 1944, he entered the United States Army, serving in World War II. Once the war ended, he returned to college, attending San Bernardino Valley College then transferring to UCLA, where he graduated. For twelve years he was employed by the city of Los Angeles, CA in personnel and engineering. In 1957, he became a management consultant.
Brown became mayor and city councilman of Monterey Park, California, 1954-1958. He was a member of the California state assembly from 1959 to 1962.
In 1970, Republican Senator George Murphy was considered vulnerable and was a top target of the Democratic party. Congressman John V. Tunney entered the race early and painted himself as a young, charismatic and energetic "Kennedy-esque" candidate as opposed to the older established Murphy. But Brown also entered the race in 1969. though with little money, organization, or most felt, chance to win. What ensued was one of the most bitter primary elections in California history. Brown touted his long standing opposition to U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and while Tunney also stated he opposed the war, he favored keeping the draft while Brown opposed it. Brown's mentor was Eugene McCarthy and like McCarthy in 1968, he ran a grass roots campaign. While Tunney stayed in the center-right of the political spectrum, Brown ran unabashedly to the left. Suddenly young voters flocked to the older Brown, and what seemed like an easy nomination for Tunney turned into a dogfight. The invasion of Cambodia and the Kent State killings also helped Brown. Brown made Vietnam and Richard Nixon the focus of his campaign while Tunney towed a middle ground. As Brown edged ahead in the polls, the campaign turned nasty. Tunney falsely claimed Brown advocated campus violence and was a liberal rogue who could not be trusted in the Senate. The normally laid back Brown then lashed out at Tunney, calling him a spoiled little rich kid. Tunney then touted his anti war record, to which Brown said was merely political grandstanding. Tunney used a late spending spree on TV ads and after a hard fought nasty campaign, Brown narrowly lost the primary. After the bitter primary, Tunney trailed Murphy in the polls by double digits but quickly made up ground and defeated Murphy handily in the general election. Brown returned to the House and was elected to the Ninety-third and to the thirteen succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1973-July 15, 1999).
Being a progressive Democrat from a largely Republican area, Brown was famous for running in more close elections than any other congressman in the 20th century without being defeated. A close election is considered by most pundits to be 55% of the vote or less, as most incumbent members of congress easily top 60% in their races. Brown topped the 55% mark only eight times in his 18 congressional elections and was only over 60% three times. He was nearly defeated in numerous elections starting with his first in 1962 for congressional district 29 with 55.7% of the vote. He would then earn 58.6%, 51.1%, and 52.3% in '64, '66, and '68 respectively before running for the US Senate. In 1972 he returned to congress by winning 56% of the vote in district 38. He would then have his three easiest campaigns by winning 62.6% in 1974, 61.6% in 1976, and 62.9% in 1978. In 1980 the Ronald Reagan landslide almost forced him from office and he struggled to hold on with 52.5% against Republican John Paul Stark. It was the first of five consecutive elections against Stark, another modern era record. Brown would triumph with 54% in 1982 and would garner 56.6% in 1984, 57% in '86, and 54% in '88. In 1990 he slipped to a meager 52.7% against San Bernardino County Supervisor Rob Hammock, a sign of tough elections to come. In 1992 famed pilot Dick Rutan held him to 50.7%. The 1996 race was even closer as he barely defeated San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Linda Wilde with 50.5%, winning by a plurality of only 996 votes. In his final reelection campaign in 1998 he came up with 55% of the vote.
In 102 and 103rd congresses, he served as chairman of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, which is now the House Committee on Science.
Brown died on July 15, 1999, at the age of 79 from an infection developed following heart valve replacement surgery in May of that year while serving his 18th term in the House. 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 serving House member and the longest-serving member of the House or Senate in the history of his home state of California. Democrat Joe Baca was elected to his seat in a special election.
"I was interested in science before I even knew what science was."
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 during his service on the House Science Committee:
Consistent with his long-held conviction that the nation needed a coherent technology policy, Brown developed an extensive technology initiative during his initial year as Chairman. This work articulated his concept of a partnership between the public and private sectors to improve the nation's competitiveness. Such successes and his continuing concern to demonstrate the practical application of advances in science and technology, he instituted the first international videoconferences in the U.S. Congress, in March of 1992. During these conferences, Members of the Science Committee exchanged ideas on science and technology via satellite with counterparts from the Commonwealth of Independent States. At these talks the foundation was laid for what would become CRDF Global.
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.[1] He voted against every defense spending bill during the Vietnam era. He also was a staunch defender of civil liberties and human rights. In 1992, for example, he led a '60 Minutes' investigative team to Central America to expose the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars for the construction of export processing zones in which workers were being grossly mistreated and denied their fundamental human rights as they made apparel and other consumer products exported back to the U.S. His investigation and expose surfaced in the 1992 presidential election campaign and also resulted in the Congress immediately cutting off the use of any taxpayer funds for the development of such export zones (EPZs) anywhere outside of the U.S.
Because of his strong commitment to science, Congressman Brown has been honored by several science and policy related organizations and had laboratories, awards, libraries and bills named in his honor, including:
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dalip Singh Saund |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 29th congressional district January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1971 |
Succeeded by George E. Danielson |
| Preceded by Victor V. Veysey |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 38th congressional district January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 |
Succeeded by Jerry M. Patterson |
| Preceded by William M. Ketchum |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 36th congressional district January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1993 |
Succeeded by Jane Harman |
| Preceded by Dana Rohrabacher |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 42nd congressional district January 3, 1993 – July 15, 1999 |
Succeeded by Joe Baca |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Robert A. Roe New Jersey |
Chairman of House Science Committee 1991 – 1995 |
Succeeded by Robert S. Walker Pennsylvania |
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