William J. Brown (lawyer)

William Joseph Brown (born July 12, 1940 in Youngstown , Ohio , † November 3, 1999 in Columbus , Ohio) was an American lawyer and politician ( Democratic Party ). He was Attorney General of Ohio from 1971 to 1983 .

Career

William Joseph Brown was born in Mahoning County during World War II . Nothing is known about his youth. He graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh ( Pennsylvania ), and then made his Bachelor of Laws at Ohio Northern University College of Law in Ada (Ohio). After receiving his license to practice law, he began practicing in Ohio. Brown served in the US Army between 1963 and 1969 . Then in 1970, at the age of just 29, he was elected Attorney General of Ohio. This made him the youngest person to ever hold this post. In his election he defeated the Republican Paul W. Brown . During his tenure, the small agency, which at the time had about 100 employees and acted as corporate employee representation for the state, grew into a quick-witted agency with a focus on consumer-oriented activities that had 800 employees. Brown divided the agency into three parts: an environmental agency, a consumer protection agency, and an advocacy group for crime victims. His successor Anthony J. Celebrezze junior said the following about him:

"Bill could cut through all of the fog and the chaff to get right to the guts of an issue and focus on it. Then he'd try and look at what he had to do to solve the problem. He didn't fool around when he attacked. "

After his time as Attorney General, he resumed his practice as a lawyer. He joined a law firm better known today as Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter , headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company later donated a scholarship in his name, the William J. Brown Scholarship to the Pettit College of Law at Ohio Northern University, which Brown previously attended. In his legal practice, he then worked extensively as a special advisor to Ohio State , representing Ohio State University , insurance companies, the police, firefighters, and state teacher pension funds.

Brown ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of Ohio in 1982 . He lost the primary to Richard Celeste , who defeated the Republican Clarence J. Brown junior in the election.

The William J. Brown Award Consumer Protection Award is named in his honor, as is the William J. Borwn Memorial Highway.

literature

• William Brown 1940–1999, ex-attorney general Ohio's youngest , Toledo Blade, November 4, 1999

Individual evidence

1. ^ History - Past Ohio Attorneys General 1951-1983
2. ^ Iver Peterson: Rep. Brown And Celeste Win Ohio Nominations , The New York Times, June 9, 1982
3. ↑ William J. Brown Consumer Protection Award ( Memento August 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ Lawriter - Ohio Laws and Rules - 5533.42 William J. Brown memorial highway