Jesse Brown
2nd United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
In office January 22, 1993 – July 3, 1997
Preceded by	Edward J. Derwinski
Succeeded by	Togo D. West, Jr.
Personal details
Born	March 27, 1944(1944-03-27) Detroit, Michigan
Died	August 15, 2002(2002-08-15) (aged 58) Warrenton, Virginia
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	City Colleges of Chicago
Military service
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1963 - 1965
Rank	Corporal
Battles/wars	Vietnam War

Jesse Brown (March 27, 1944 – August 15, 2002) was the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Military service 3 Veterans service 3.1 DAV 3.2 Secretary of Veterans Affairs 4 Death 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References

[edit] Early life

Jesse Brown was born on March 27, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan, but grew up in Chicago. He attended The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and Roosevelt University in Chicago, and graduated from the City Colleges of Chicago.

[edit] Military service

He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1963, and served as a Marine in the Vietnam War, reaching the rank of Corporal. He was seriously injured in 1965 near Da Nang — his right arm shattered and partially paralyzed.

[edit] Veterans service

[edit] DAV

In 1967, Brown joined the staff of Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a service and advocacy organization. He served in various supervisory roles with the DAV in the 1970s and 1980s:

• 1973 — supervisor of National Service Office in Washington, D.C.
• 1976 — supervisor of National Appeals Office
• 1981 — Chief of Claims, National Service and Legislative Headquarters
• 1983 — Deputy National Service Director

In 1989, Brown became the DAV's first African-American director, serving until 1993.

[edit] Secretary of Veterans Affairs

In January 1993, Brown was selected by President Bill Clinton to the post of Secretary of Veterans Affairs,^[1] serving until 1997. He was the first African American to hold that post. During his tenure, Brown expanded the services offered to female veterans, homeless veterans and veterans who were ill due to chemical exposures in Vietnam or the Gulf War. After he resigned as Secretary, Brown founded a consulting firm, Brown and Associates.^[2]

[edit] Death

Brown died in Warrenton, Virginia on August 15, 2002 of lower motor neuron syndrome — being diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, since 1999.^[2][3] He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.^[3]

[edit] See also

• Disabled American Veterans
• Vietnam Veterans of America

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• "Jesse Brown - Corporal, United States Marine Corps - Secretary of Veterans Affairs". ArlingtonCemetery.net. 23 April 2006. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jesse-brown.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 

• "Jesse Brown, 58, Ex-Marine Who Headed Veterans Dept.". New York Times. August 17, 2002. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E5DB123DF934A2575BC0A9649C8B63. Retrieved 2008-08-19. 

• "Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship Program". Disabled American Veterans. http://www.dav.org/volunteers/jesse_brown_scholarship.html. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 

Government offices
Preceded by Edward J. Derwinski	United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Served under: Bill Clinton 1993–1997	Succeeded by Togo D. West, Jr.

v · d · eUnited States Secretaries of Veterans Affairs Derwinski • Brown • West • Gober (acting) • Principi • Nicholson • Peake • Shinseki

v · d · eCabinet of President Bill Clinton (1993–2001)  Cabinet Secretary of State Warren Christopher (1993 – 1997) • Madeleine Albright (1997 – 2001) Secretary of the Treasury Lloyd Bentsen (1993 – 1994) • Robert Rubin (1995 – 1999) • Lawrence Summers (1999 – 2001) Secretary of Defense Les Aspin (1993 – 1994) • William Perry (1994 – 1997) • William Cohen (1997 – 2001) Attorney General Janet Reno (1993 – 2001) Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt (1993 – 2001) Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy (1993 – 1994) • Dan Glickman (1995 – 2001) Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown (1993 – 1996) • Mickey Kantor (1996 – 1997) • William Daley (1997 – 2000) • Norman Mineta (2000 – 2001) Secretary of Labor Robert Reich (1993 – 1997) • Alexis Herman (1997 – 2001) Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala (1993 – 2001) Secretary of Education Richard Riley (1993 – 2001) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros (1993 – 1997) • Andrew Cuomo (1997 – 2001) Secretary of Transportation Federico Peña (1993 – 1997) • Rodney Slater (1997 – 2001) Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary (1993 – 1997) • Federico Peña (1997 – 1998) • Bill Richardson (1998 – 2001) Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown (1993 – 1997) • Togo West (1998 – 2000) • Hershel Gober* (2000 – 2001) * acting secretary.  Cabinet-level Vice President Al Gore (1993 – 2001) White House Chief of Staff Mack McLarty (1993 – 1994) • Leon Panetta (1994 – 1997) • Erskine Bowles (1997 – 1998) • John Podesta (1998 – 2001) Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Carol Browner (1993 – 2001) Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Korbel Albright (1993 – 1997) • Bill Richardson (1997 – 1998) • Richard Holbrooke (1999 – 2001) Director of the Office of Management and Budget Leon Panetta (1993 – 1994) • Alice Rivlin (1994 – 1996) • Franklin Raines (1996 – 1998) • Jacob Lew (1998 – 2001) Director of National Drug Control Policy Lee Brown (1993 – 1995) • Barry McCaffrey (1996 – 2001) Trade Representative Mickey Kantor (1993 – 1997) • Charlene Barshefsky (1997 – 2001) Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency James Lee Witt (1993 – 2001)* Director of Central Intelligence John Deutch (1995 – 1996) • George Tenet (1997–2001) Administrator of the Small Business Administration Erskine Bowles (1993 - 1994)  • Philip Lader (1994 – 1997) • Aída Álvarez (1997–2001) * took office in 1993, raised to cabinet-rank in 1996

Persondata
Name	Brown, Jesse
Alternative names
Short description	United States Marine
Date of birth	March 27, 1944
Place of birth	Detroit, Michigan
Date of death	August 15, 2002
Place of death	Warrenton, Virginia