John Y. Brown Jr.
John Y. Brown, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| 55th Governor of Kentucky | |
| In office 1979–1983 | |
| Lieutenant | Thelma Stovall |
| Preceded by | Julian M. Carroll |
| Succeeded by | Martha Layne Collins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 28, 1933 Lexington, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Phyllis George Brown |
| Profession | lawyer and businessman |
John Young Brown Jr. (born December 28, 1933) is a U.S. Democratic Party politician, entrepreneur and businessman.
John Y. Brown Jr. was born in Lexington, Kentucky. His father, John Y. Brown, Sr. was a member of the U.S. Congress from Kentucky and a member of the Kentucky state legislature for nearly three decades, including a term as Speaker of the House. He graduated from Lafayette High School and University of Kentucky, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta, earning both an undergraduate degree and a law degree. From 1959 to 1965, he served in the United States Army Reserve. In 1960, he married Eleanor Bennett Durall, of Central City, Kentucky, and had three children, including John Y. Brown, III, who served as Kentucky Secretary of State from 1996 to 2004. The couple divorced in 1977. Two years later, he married former Miss America and CBS sportscaster Phyllis George, and had two more children, including television reporter Pamela Ashley Brown.
In 1964, Brown bought KFC from its founder, Colonel Harland Sanders, and built the company into one of the world's largest fast food chains, before selling it in 1971. From 1973 to 1975, he was the owner of the Kentucky Colonels ABA team. In 1976, he purchased the Buffalo Braves, the NBA team that would later become the Los Angeles Clippers. From 1978 to 1979, he owned the Boston Celtics NBA team.
He served as Governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, defeating former Republican governor Louie B. Nunn in the 1979 general election. Shortly after completing his term as governor, he made an abortive bid for the United States Senate seat held by Walter Huddleston. In 1987, he ran unsuccessfully for a second term as governor, losing to Wallace G. Wilkinson in the Democratic primary.
Following his term as Governor, he resumed his career in the restaurant industry. In 1991, he formed a partnership with recording artist Kenny Rogers, co-founding and serving as CEO of Kenny Rogers Roasters, an international chain of wood-roasted chicken restaurants. Since 1990, he has founded several other restaurants including Miami Subs, Chicken By George, and Roadhouse Grill. In 1998, he divorced Phyllis George, after 21 years of marriage. Later that year, he married former Mrs. Kentucky Jill Louise Roach, 27 years his junior, but divorced in 2003. He currently divides his time between homes in Lexington, Kentucky and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
