Brown, Willie L. (Willie Lewis), Jr., 1934-

<p>Political leader The Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr. was born on March 20, 1934 in Mineola, Texas to Minnie Collins Boyd and Willie Lewis Brown, Sr. He graduated from Mineola Colored High School in 1951. In 1955, he received his B.A. degree in political science from San Francisco State University, followed by a J.D. degree in 1958 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.</p>

<p>During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Brown operated his own general law practice in San Francisco. In 1960, he led a sit-in to protest housing discrimination; and in 1964 he defended political activist Mario Savio, who was arrested for civil disobedience. Brown was elected to the California State Assembly in 1964 on his second run, and he would remain there to represent San Francisco until 1995. In 1969, he was made the Democratic Whip; and in 1980, he was elected Speaker of the Assembly. He also spoke at the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami, Florida. After Californians passed a 1990 ballot initiative instituting term limits for state elected officials, Brown was “termed out” of office in 1995. That year, he ran for the office of Mayor of San Francisco and easily defeated incumbent Frank Jordan. He served as mayor from 1996 until 2004, overseeing several development projects and mediating two public transit worker strikes.</p>

<p>After retiring from public office in 2004, Brown continued to dedicate his time to community service. In 2008, he established the Willie L. Brown, Jr. Institute on Politics and Public Service, a nonpartisan non-profit organization at San Francisco State University dedicated to training future municipal administrators. Brown has Honorary Doctorate of Law degrees from seventeen institutions, including San Francisco State University, Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio; as well as a Doctorate of Science degree from the California College of Podiatric Medicine. He was a Fellow of Crown College at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In 2006, Brown co-hosted a morning radio show with comedian Will Durst, and in 2008 he published his autobiography, Basic Brown: My Life and Our Times.</p>

<p>Willie Lewis Brown Jr. (born March 20, 1934) is an American politician of the Democratic Party. Brown served over 30 years in the California State Assembly, spending 15 years as its speaker. He later became mayor of San Francisco, the first African American to hold that office. The San Francisco Chronicle called Brown "one of San Francisco's most notable mayors", adding that he had "celebrity beyond the city's boundaries." Born in Mineola, Texas, Brown graduated from San Francisco State University in 1955 and earned a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1958. He spent several years in private practice before being elected to the California Assembly in 1964 in his second attempt. Brown became the Democrats' whip in 1969 and speaker in 1980. He was known for his ability to manage colleagues and maintain party discipline. According to The New York Times, Brown became one of the country's most powerful state legislators. His long tenure and powerful position were used as a focal point of the California ballot proposition to limit the terms of state legislators, which passed in 1990. During the last of his three allowed post-initiative terms, Brown maintained control of the Assembly despite a slim GOP majority by gaining several Republicans' support. Near the end of his final term, he left the legislature and became mayor of San Francisco.</p>

<p>Brown served as mayor from January 8, 1996, to January 8, 2004. His tenure was marked by a significant increase in real estate development, public works, city beautification and other large-scale city projects. He presided over the "dot-com" era at a time when San Francisco's economy was rapidly expanding. Brown's administration included more Asian-Americans, women, Latinos, gays and African-Americans than the administrations of his predecessors. Term limits prevented him from running for a third term and he was succeeded by a political protégé, Gavin Newsom. Brown then retired from politics.</p>

<p>Former State Legislator and Mayor Willie Lewis Brown Jr. was born in Mineola, Texas, to Willie L. Brown, Sr., and Minnie (Boyd) Lewis on March 20, 1934. After migrating to San Francisco, California in 1951, Brown worked as a janitor in order to subsidize his education at San Francisco State University. Upon his arrival in San Francisco, Brown immediately joined the United Methodist Church, which was committed to social action, where he became the youth leader. In his attempts to make the world and himself more “comfortable,” he also participated in the San Francisco civil rights protests in the late 1950s. He earned his bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University in 1955. In 1958, he earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Hastings College Law School.</p>

<p>In the 1950s Brown’s prospects seemed bleak. Most San Francisco law firms barred black attorneys from employment. In addition, Hastings Law School alumni were not heavily recruited because of Bay Area law firms’ preference for Stanford and University of California-Berkeley graduates. In 1959 Brown began his own practice, Brown, Dearman & Smith, after working for a time with prominent San Francisco black attorney Terry Francois. Brown’s new firm specialized in criminal defense, real estate development, and personal injury cases.</p>

<p>While searching for a house, he and his wife, Blanche Vitero, were discriminated against. The Browns, along with some friends, protested and “brought the issue of racism in housing to the forefront of public attention.” Although, the Browns did not buy the house, they were successful on another front—placing the Brown name in the political arena.</p>

<p><b>RACES</b>
<ul>
<li> 12/14/1999 San Francisco Mayor - Runoff Won 59.61% (+19.22%)</li>
<li> 11/02/1999 San Francisco Mayor Won 36.90% (+12.84%)</li>
<li> 12/12/1995 San Francisco Mayor - Runoff Won 56.68% (+13.35%)</li>
<li> 11/07/1995 San Francisco Mayor Won 34.71% (+1.04%)</li>
<li> 01/23/1995 CA Assembly Speaker Won 50.63% (+1.27%)</li>
<li> 11/08/1994 CA State Assembly 13 Won 72.95% (+53.40%)</li>
<li> 12/07/1992 CA Assembly Speaker Won 59.49% (+18.99%)</li>
<li> 11/03/1992 CA State Assembly 13 Won 69.47% (+50.56%)</li>
<li> 06/02/1992 CA State Assembly 13 - D Primary Won 81.09% (+62.18%)</li>
<li> 12/03/1990 CA Assembly Speaker Won 60.00% (+20.00%)</li>
<li> 11/06/1990 CA State Assembly 17 Won 64.20% (+37.10%)</li>
<li> 11/08/1988 CA State Assembly 17 Won 69.94% (+45.04%)</li>
<li> 11/04/1986 CA State Assembly 17 Won 70.59% (+45.96%)</li>
<li> 11/06/1984 CA State Assembly 17 Won 70.07% (+40.14%)</li>
<li> 12/06/1982 CA Assembly Speaker Won 60.00% (+20.00%)</li>
<li> 11/02/1982 CA State Assembly 17 Won 66.84% (+40.37%)</li>
<li> 12/01/1980 CA Assembly Speaker Won 68.00% (+36.00%)</li>
<li> 11/04/1980 CA State Assembly 17 Won 60.86% (+29.80%)</li>
<li> 11/07/1978 CA State Assembly 17 Won 62.95% (+25.90%)</li>
<li> 11/02/1976 CA State Assembly 17 Won 67.69% (+38.65%)</li>
<li> 11/05/1974 CA State Assembly 17 Won 65.47% (+30.94%)</li>
<li> 11/07/1972 CA State Assembly 18 Won 76.07% (+52.14%)</li>
<li> 11/03/1970 CA State Assembly 18 Won 66.74% (+33.49%)</li>
<li> 11/05/1968 CA State Assembly 18 Won 64.80% (+36.17%)</li>
<li> 11/08/1966 CA State Assembly 18 Won 55.64% (+11.28%)</li>
<li> 11/03/1964 CA State Assembly 18 Won 59.07% (+18.14%)</li>
<li> 06/02/1964 CA State Assembly 18 - D Primary Won 54.05% (+10.75%)</li>
</ul>
</p>

<p><b>SPECULATIVE, DID NOT RUN</b>
<ul>
<li> 12/22/2020 CA US Senate - Appointment Lost 0.00% (-100.00%)</li>
<li> 01/04/2011 San Francisco Mayor - Acting Lost 0.00% (-83.33%)</li>
</ul>
</p>