Ron Brown

Ron Brown
source
Name	Ron Brown
Caption	30th United States Secretary of Commerce
Office	30th United States Secretary of Commerce
President	Bill Clinton
Term start	January 22, 1993
Term end	April 3, 1996
Predecessor	Barbara Hackman Franklin
Successor	Mickey Kantor
Office1	Chairman of the Democratic National Committee
Term start1	1989
Term end1	1993
Predecessor1	Paul G. Kirk
Successor1	David Wilhelm
Birth name	Ronald Harmon Brown
Birth date	August 1, 1941
Birth place	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Death date	April 3, 1996 (aged 54)
Death place	near Dubrovnik, Croatia
Death cause	Aircraft crash
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Alma Arrington
Children	2, including Michael
Education	Middlebury College (BA), St. John's University (JD)
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Serviceyears	1962–1967
Rank	Captain
Unit	United States Army Europe

Ron Brown was an influential American political figure and the first African American to lead a major U.S. political party and to serve as the United States Secretary of Commerce. His career was marked by groundbreaking achievements in Democratic politics and a transformative tenure at the Department of Commerce under President Bill Clinton. Brown's life was tragically cut short in a plane crash while on an official trade mission, cementing his legacy as a pioneering advocate for economic opportunity and international trade.

Early life and education

Ronald Harmon Brown was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Gloria and William Brown, a manager at the historic Hotel Theresa in Harlem. He was raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, where he attended the prestigious Hunter College Elementary School. Brown later graduated from White Plains High School before enrolling at Middlebury College in Vermont, becoming one of the first African American members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. After graduating in 1962, he served as a captain in the United States Army, stationed with United States Army Europe in West Germany. Following his military service, he earned a Juris Doctor from the St. John's University School of Law and began his professional career.

Political career

Brown's political career began as a staffer for the National Urban League under Vernon Jordan. He later served as deputy campaign manager for Senator Edward M. Kennedy's 1980 presidential campaign. His strategic acumen led to key roles, including chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee and a senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee. In 1988, he served as convention manager for the presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis. His most significant political achievement came in 1989 when he was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party. In this role, he played a crucial part in unifying the party and engineering the successful 1992 presidential victory of Bill Clinton.

Secretary of Commerce

In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Brown as the Secretary of Commerce. At the Commerce Department, he aggressively promoted American business interests abroad, leading numerous trade missions to countries like China, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia. He was a principal architect of Clinton's economic policy, emphasizing the "National Export Strategy" and advocating for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the establishment of the World Trade Organization. Brown worked closely with figures like Mickey Kantor and Laura D'Andrea Tyson to refocus the department as a "Cabinet-level advocacy agency" for U.S. industry, significantly boosting exports and forging new commercial partnerships.

Death and legacy

On April 3, 1996, Brown was killed, along with 34 others, when a United States Air Force Boeing CT-43 carrying his trade delegation crashed into a mountainside near Dubrovnik, Croatia. The official investigation by the United States Air Force and the Croatian authorities attributed the accident to pilot error and inadequate flight procedures. His death was widely mourned, with eulogies delivered by President Bill Clinton and General Colin Powell. Brown's legacy is that of a trailblazer who broke racial barriers at the highest levels of American politics and government, reshaping the Commerce Department into a powerful engine for global trade and economic growth. His work paved the way for future leaders like Norman Mineta and Condoleezza Rice.

Honors and memorials

Brown has been honored with numerous posthumous awards and memorials. The United States Department of Commerce headquarters in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Ronald H. Brown United States Department of Commerce Building in 1996. The Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development was established at his alma mater, St. John's University School of Law. Other honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by President Bill Clinton in 2001, and the creation of the Ronald H. Brown Award by the United States Agency for International Development. The USNS *Ronald H. Brown*, a naval survey ship, was also christened in his memory. Category:1941 births Category:1996 deaths Category:United States Secretaries of Commerce Category:Democratic National Committee chairs