George L. Brown

George L. Brown
40th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
In office 1975–1979
Preceded by	Ted L. Strickland
Succeeded by	Nancy E. Dick
Member of the Colorado Senate
In office 1955–1974
Personal details
Born	(1926-07-01)July 1, 1926 Lawrence, Kansas, United States
Died	March 31, 2006(2006-03-31) (aged 80)
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Modeen
Alma mater	University of Kansas, Harvard Business School, University of Colorado, University of Denver
Profession	Politician
Religion	Baptist

George Leslie Brown (July 1, 1926 - March 31, 2006) was an American politician. He served in the Colorado Senate from 1955 to 1974 and as the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado from 1975 to 1979. He was also a Sr. Vice President with Grumman Corporation. During World War II, he served as a Tuskegee Airman. Together with California's Mervyn Dymally, he was one of the first two Black lieutenant-governors since Reconstruction and outside of any southern state.

Early life

Growing up on a farm in Kansas, Brown was a star athlete in basketball, football and track before graduating from Lawrence Liberty Memorial High School in 1944. Brown graduated from the University of Kansas in 1950 with a B.S. in journalism. He also did graduate work at Harvard Business School, the University of Colorado and the University of Denver.

Career

For fourteen years, he worked as a writer and editor for The Denver Post and hosted his own Denver radio talk show. He was the first African American editor to work for a major daily newspaper in the Rocky Mountain region. Brown served as the assistant executive director for Denver's Public Housing Program for four years and taught at the University of Colorado and the University of Denver.

In 1955, Brown made history when he was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. He served as a state senator for eighteen years, and was reelected to five consecutive four-year terms. Then, in 1974, in the middle of his fifth Senate term, he was elected lieutenant governor, a position he held for four years. Brown and California's Mervyn Dymally became the first two Black lieutenant-governors since Reconstruction and outside of any southern state.

In 1979, Brown joined the Grumman Corporation as vice president for marketing and was later promoted to senior vice president in charge of the firm's regional offices, becoming the first African American corporate officer in a major U.S. aerospace company. He completed Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program in 1980 and worked as Grumman's chief lobbyist in Washington, D.C., until he left Grunman in 1990. That year, Brown joined the Washington, D.C. law firm of Whitten & Diamond. In March 1994, he was named director for Prudential Securities and managed its Washington public finance office. He was a banker for Greenwich Partners from 1997 to 2000.

Brown died on March 31, 2006 of cancer.

Personal life

Brown was active on various boards and served as a consultant and adviser for various organizations and companies. He received numerous awards and honors for his work. Brown was married to Modeen. He has one son: Steven; and four daughters: Gail, Cynthia, Kim and Laura.