Jerry Brown

Jerry Brown
Name	Jerry Brown
Caption	Brown in 2015
Order	34th & 39th
Office	Governor of California
Term start1	January 3, 2011
Term end1	January 7, 2019
Lieutenant1	Gavin Newsom
Predecessor1	Arnold Schwarzenegger
Successor1	Gavin Newsom
Term start2	January 6, 1975
Term end2	January 3, 1983
Lieutenant2	Mervyn Dymally, Mike Curb
Predecessor2	Ronald Reagan
Successor2	George Deukmejian
Office3	31st Attorney General of California
Governor3	Arnold Schwarzenegger
Term start3	January 9, 2007
Term end3	January 3, 2011
Predecessor3	Bill Lockyer
Successor3	Kamala Harris
Office4	44th Mayor of Oakland
Term start4	January 4, 1999
Term end4	January 8, 2007
Predecessor4	Elihu Harris
Successor4	Ron Dellums
Office5	23rd Secretary of State of California
Governor5	Ronald Reagan
Term start5	January 4, 1971
Term end5	January 6, 1975
Predecessor5	H. P. Sullivan
Successor5	March Fong Eu
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Anne Gust (m. 2005)
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA), Yale University (JD)
Birth name	Edmund Gerald Brown Jr.
Birth date	7 April 1938
Birth place	San Francisco, California, U.S.

Jerry Brown. Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. is an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 34th and 39th Governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the only son of former Governor Pat Brown and has held a record four statewide offices in California. His political career, spanning over five decades, is marked by fiscal pragmatism, environmental advocacy, and an unorthodox personal style that earned him the nickname "Governor Moonbeam."

Early life and education

Born in San Francisco, he was raised in the city's Laurel Heights neighborhood. His father, Pat Brown, served as District Attorney of San Francisco before becoming Governor of California. Brown attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory and entered Santa Clara University before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Classics. He later studied at the Sacred Heart Novitiate, a Jesuit seminary, before enrolling at Yale University, graduating with a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1964.

Political career

Brown began his career as a law clerk for California Supreme Court Justice Mathew Tobriner. He was elected to the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees in 1969. In 1970, he was elected California Secretary of State, where he gained prominence for suing Standard Oil of California and championing the Political Reform Act of 1974. His successful 1974 gubernatorial campaign defeated Republican Houston I. Flournoy. After his governorship, he ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate in 1982, losing to Pete Wilson. He later served as Chairman of the California Democratic Party and made unsuccessful bids for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976, 1980, and 1992.

Governor of California

During his first tenure from 1975 to 1983, he appointed record numbers of women and minorities to state government, signed the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, and established the California Conservation Corps. He was known for his frugality, eschewing the Governor's Mansion for a modest apartment. Elected again in 2010, his second tenure focused on stabilizing the state's finances following the Great Recession, championing the California High-Speed Rail project, and enacting aggressive climate policies like cap-and-trade and a goal for 100% clean electricity. He also oversaw reforms to the California prison system and managed crises including a historic drought.

Post-gubernatorial activities

After leaving office in 2019, Brown became the executive chairman of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He founded the California-China Climate Institute at the University of California, Berkeley and remains a vocal advocate for climate action and nuclear risk reduction. He has also served on the advisory board of the Berggruen Institute and continues to write and speak on governance and global threats.

Personal life

Brown married Anne Gust, a former Gap Inc. executive, in 2005. He has been a lifelong Roman Catholic and spent time in his youth studying to be a Jesuit priest. An avid student of philosophy, he has practiced Zen Buddhism and studied in Japan. He and his wife reside primarily at their family ranch in Colusa County.

Legacy and honors

Brown is credited with restoring California's fiscal health and establishing its global leadership on climate change. His appointments reshaped the California judiciary, including three to the California Supreme Court. He received the Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in 2015. His political longevity and unique blend of idealism and austerity have left a lasting imprint on California and national politics.

Category:1938 births Category:American lawyers Category:Governors of California Category:Living people