Pat Brown

Pat Brown
State of California · Public domain · source
Name	Pat Brown
Caption	32nd Governor of California
Order	32nd
Office	Governor of California
Term start	January 5, 1959
Term end	January 2, 1967
Lieutenant	Glenn M. Anderson
Predecessor	Goodwin Knight
Successor	Ronald Reagan
Office1	20th Attorney General of California
Governor1	Goodwin Knight
Term start1	January 8, 1951
Term end1	January 5, 1959
Predecessor1	Frederick N. Howser
Successor1	Stanley Mosk
Office2	District Attorney of San Francisco
Term start2	1943
Term end2	1950
Predecessor2	Matthew Brady
Successor2	Thomas C. Lynch
Birth name	Edmund Gerald Brown
Birth date	21 April 1905
Birth place	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Death date	16 February 1996
Death place	Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Bernice Layne, 1930
Children	4, including Kathleen Brown and Jerry Brown
Education	San Francisco Law School (LLB)

Pat Brown was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd Governor of California from 1959 to 1967. A member of the Democratic Party, he presided over a period of immense growth and transformation in the state, championing massive investments in public infrastructure and higher education. His tenure was marked by the expansion of the University of California system, the construction of the California State Water Project, and the signing of the Rumford Fair Housing Act. Brown's political career was ultimately defined by his ambitious vision for a modern California and his defeat in the pivotal 1966 California gubernatorial election.

Early life and education

Edmund Gerald Brown was born in 1905 in the Mission District of San Francisco to Ida and Edmund Brown. He attended Lowell High School before enrolling at San Francisco Law School, where he earned his Bachelor of Laws degree. Admitted to the State Bar of California in 1927, he quickly established a legal practice in the city. His early life in the politically vibrant environment of San Francisco during the early 20th century shaped his pragmatic and progressive outlook.

Legal and early political career

Brown began his public service as a deputy district attorney for San Francisco County under District Attorney Matthew Brady. He was elected as the District Attorney of San Francisco in 1943, gaining a reputation as a tough but fair prosecutor. In 1950, he successfully ran for the office of Attorney General of California, defeating incumbent Frederick N. Howser. As attorney general, he notably advised Governor Earl Warren during the Second Red Scare and took a firm stance against organized crime, setting the stage for his gubernatorial campaign.

Governorship of California

Elected in 1958, Brown's governorship was characterized by an activist government that harnessed the state's postwar boom. He signed the Donahoe Higher Education Act, creating the framework for the California State University system and expanding the University of California. His administration oversaw the groundbreaking for the California Aqueduct and the Oroville Dam, central components of the State Water Project. He also signed the Rumford Fair Housing Act in 1963, a landmark anti-discrimination law, and managed the state's response to social unrest, including the Watts riots in 1965. His leadership during the Cuban Missile Crisis and on issues like capital punishment further defined his tenure.

1962 gubernatorial election and later political life

Brown won a hard-fought re-election in 1962 against former Vice President Richard Nixon, a victory that bolstered his national stature. However, by 1966, his popularity had waned amid rising social tensions and backlash against the Rumford Act. He was defeated by political newcomer Ronald Reagan in the 1966 California gubernatorial election. After leaving office, he remained active in the Democratic Party, practicing law and serving on various commissions. He made an unsuccessful bid for the United States Senate in 1970, losing in the primary to John V. Tunney.

Personal life and legacy

He married Bernice Layne Brown in 1930, and they had four children, including future Governor of California Jerry Brown and California State Treasurer Kathleen Brown. Pat Brown died in 1996 in Beverly Hills. His legacy is physically etched into California through its water infrastructure, universities, and freeways. The California Department of Water Resources headquarters is named the Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct in his honor. Historians regard his administration as a high-water mark for New Deal-style liberalism in the Western United States, and his family's continued prominence has made the Brown political family a lasting force in the state's politics.

Category:1905 births Category:1996 deaths Category:Governors of California Category:California Attorneys General Category:20th-century American politicians