Caro Crawford Brown | |
|---|---|
| Born | Caro Crawford (1908-05-25)May 25, 1908 Baber,Angelina County, Texas, United States |
| Died | August 5, 2001(2001-08-05) (aged 93) Boerne, Texas, United States |
| Resting place | Roselawn Memorial Park,Alice, Texas |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse | Jack Lennis Brown |
| Children |
|
Caro Crawford Brown (May 25, 1908 – August 5, 2001) was aPulitzer Prize-winning American journalist.
Caro Crawford was born in Baber,Angelina County, Texas in 1908. Her family moved toBeaumont when she was 15, and she studied journalism at the College of Industrial Arts and Sciences (nowTexas Woman's University).[1][2] When her education was interrupted by the start of theGreat Depression in 1929, she took a job inConroe. There she met Jack L. Brown, whom she married. The couple moved toDuval County.[3]
Caro Brown began working for theAlice Daily Echo in 1947,[4] initially as a proofreader,[3] and later as a columnist,society editor, and courthouse reporter.[2] It was in this last role that she began investigatingGeorge B. Parr, a powerfulpolitical boss in Duval andJim Wells Counties. Parr controlled apatronage system which dominated the political and economic landscape of the region. He had fallen under scrutiny for influencing the outcome of the 1948 Democratic Senate primary in favor ofLyndon Johnson,[5] and for a series of local political campaigns which turned violent in 1952.[3]
Brown spent long hours attending court proceedings, requesting public documents, and researching Parr's organization. Her articles were run by theAssociated Press, drawing national attention to the issue.[3][4] Members of theTexas Rangers law enforcement agency advised her that she was at risk of violence from Parr's supporters – a reporter named Bill Mason had previously been killed while conducting similar investigations – and Brown began carrying a handgun in her car for self-defense.[4]
She became personally involved during an angry courthouse confrontation between Parr and Ranger CaptainAlfred Allee. Sensing that Allee was about to physically attack Parr, Brown stepped in to separate them. For her story about the incident for theDaily Echo, Brown was awarded thePulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, Edition Time.[2][3] The committee's decision read:
For a series of news stories dealing with the successful attack on one-man political rule in neighboring Duval County, written under unusual pressure both of edition time and difficult, even dangerous, circumstances. Mrs. Brown dug into the facts behind the dramatic daily events, as well, and obtained her stories in spite of the bitterest political opposition, showing professional skill and courage.[6]
Though George B. Parr was not convicted for corruption, the exposure of hispolitical machine greatly limited his influence and eventually led to a fall from power.[3]
Caro Crawford Brown retired from journalism shortly after winning the Pulitzer.[4] She died inBoerne, Texas in 2001 at age 93.[5]