Brown, Jesse, 1944-2002

Jesse Brown (March 27, 1944 – August 15, 2002) was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, nonprofit professional, and American cabinet official. He served as United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997.

Born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1963. During the Vietnam War, he was seriously wounded while patrolling near DaNang. The injury left his right arm completely paralyzed. For his sacrifice, Brown received the Purple Heart and an honorable discharge. Returning to Chicago, Brown became active in the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a service and advocacy organization founded in 1920 to assist disabled veterans. He began taking classes at Roosevelt University in Chicago before graduating from Kennedy-King College. Moving to the DAV's national office in Washington, D.C., he began taking classes at The Catholic University of America.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Brown served in various supervisory roles with the DAV. From 1973 to 1976, Brown served as supervisor of National Service Office in Washington, D.C.; between 1976 and 1981, he served as supervisor of National Appeals Office. In 1981, he was named Chief of Claims for the National Service and Legislative Headquarters. In 1983, Brown was named Deputy National Service Director. In 1988, he became the DAV’s first African American executive director. In this position, he often testified on veteran health issues before Congress. He challenged Congress’s efforts to decrease veteran’s benefits and criticized the deterioration of the veteran’s hospital system. While at the agency, he also created the system for health officials to diagnose and treat post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical side effects of Agent Orange.

In January 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Brown to the position of Secretary of Veteran Affairs. After Congressional hearings and confirmation, Brown took over this position in early 1993. His agency contained 260,000 employees and he oversaw a budget of over $34.3 billion dollars. During his tenure, he reengineered the healthcare system, created more healthcare services for female veterans, and developed resources for homeless veterans. Although Brown resigned from his position in 1997, government officials and veterans praised his advocacy for veterans. Brown’s commitment and dedication to improving the lives of veterans earned him the prestigious Presidential Unsung Hero Award by LIFE in 2000 and the Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year award by the Disabled American Veterans organization in 2000.

Brown died from Lou Gehrig’s disease in Warrenton, Virginia. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.