Basil W. Brown was born March 20, 1927, in Vandalia, Michigan. His family moved to Battle Creek, Michigan in 1929. He was a graduate of Battle Creek's Central High School and won varsity letters in football and track while at Central. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he was honorably discharged in 1946 after serving in the China Sea, Okinawa, and the Philippines. He has a B.A. degree from the Western Michigan College of Education and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He was formerly executive vice president of Diggs Enterprises, Inc., and the legal adviser to Congressman Charles C. Diggs. Basil Brown was elected state senator from the Third Senatorial District in 1956. He has been re-elected as state senator in each election since 1956. In 1964, he was elected to represent the newly reapportioned Sixth Senatorial District, and he served as Democratic Majority Floor Leader as well as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Effective January 4, 1988, Basil W. Brown resigned his position as senior member of the Michigan Senate.
From the description of Senator Basil W. Brown. (State Archive of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 40626702
