Jesse Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2ndUnited States Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
| In office January 22, 1993 – July 13, 1997 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Ed Derwinski |
| Succeeded by | Togo West |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1944-03-27)March 27, 1944 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | August 15, 2002(2002-08-15) (aged 58) |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Sylvia Scott |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | City Colleges of Chicago Roosevelt University Catholic University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1963–1965 |
| Rank |  Corporal |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Jesse Brown (March 27, 1944 – August 15, 2002) was an American politician andMarine Corps veteran who served as the secondUnited States secretary of veterans affairs under PresidentBill Clinton from 1993 to 1997.
Jesse Brown was born on March 27, 1944, inDetroit, Michigan,[1] to Lucille Marsh Brown and David Brown. He grew up inChicago, Illinois,[1] and graduated with honors from theCity Colleges of Chicago.[2] Married to Sylvia Scott Brown, they had two children, N. Scott Brown and Carmen Brown.
He enlisted in theUnited States Marine Corps in 1963,[2] and served as a Marine in theVietnam War, reaching the rank ofcorporal. He was seriously injured in 1965 nearDa Nang when he was shot in the right arm, which was left partially paralyzed.[2]
Returning to Chicago, in 1967 Brown became active inDisabled American Veterans (DAV), a service and advocacy organization founded in 1920 to assist disabled veterans. He began taking classes atRoosevelt University in Chicago. Moving to DAV's national office inWashington, D.C., he began taking classes atThe Catholic University of America.[2]
In 1967, Brown joined the staff ofDisabled American Veterans. He served in various supervisory roles with DAV in the 1970s and 1980s:[2]
In 1988, Brown became DAV's first African-American executive director, serving until 1993.
In January 1993, Brown was selected by President Bill Clinton to the post of Secretary of Veterans Affairs,[3] serving until July 1997. He was thefirst African American to hold that post. He is also the first former enlisted member of theUnited States Armed Forces named Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. During his tenure, Brown expanded the services offered to female veterans,homeless veterans, and veterans who were ill due to chemical exposures inVietnam or theGulf War. After he resigned as secretary, Brown founded a consulting firm, Brown and Associates.[4]
Brown was one of three people who provided the impetus for the creation of theAmerican Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, a national memorial in Washington, D.C., which honors disabled veterans. In 1998, philanthropistLois Pope realized there was no memorial to disabled veterans in the nation's capital. Although she did not know him, Pope called Brown's Veterans Affairs office to plead for a memorial. Pope called every day for the next six months, until finally Brown's secretary put her call through.[5][6] Brown agreed to support legislation establishing a memorial.[7] Brown introduced Pope to Art Wilson,[5] the National Adjutant (e.g., chief executive officer) of DAV. DAV was itself not a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, and thus Pope and Wilson agreed that a new foundation, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation (AVDLMF; also known as the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation) should be created.[5] Brown left office in 1997. Brown, Pope, and Wilson incorporated the foundation in 1998, and Wilson was named its president.[8] Brown served as the executive director of the American Disabled Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation until his death.
The three individuals and their supporters began lobbying Congress to win passage of the necessary federal legislation.[6] Congress quickly approved the bill, and President Clinton signed it into law (Public Law 106–348) on October 24, 2000.[9][10] After a decade of fundraising, the memorial began construction in 2011. It was dedicated by President Barack Obama on October 5, 2014.[11] Two quotations by Brown are featured on the memorial.[12]
Brown died inWarrenton, Virginia on August 15, 2002, oflower motor neuron syndrome. He had been diagnosed withamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, since 1999.[1][4] His funeral was held at theWashington National Cathedral, and he was buried inArlington National Cemetery.[2]
He was survived by his wife, Sylvia, and his children Carmen and Scott.[1]
The DAV established the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship in his honor. Eight scholarships are awarded each year to youth volunteers (aged 21 or younger) who have worked to assist disabled veterans and advanced the cause of disabled veterans' rights in the name of DAV. Scholarships are awarded in the following amounts:•One scholarship of $20,000•One scholarship of $15,000•One scholarship of $10,000•Two scholarships of $7,500•Three scholarships of $5,000[13]
In May 2004, the West Side VA Medical Center inChicago was renamed the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in his honor.[14]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs 1993–1997 | Succeeded by |
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