Jesse Brown

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

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.

Military service
He joined in the United States Marine Corps in 1963, and served as a Marine in the Vietnam War, where he was seriously injured in 1965 near Da Nang – his right arm shattered and partially paralyzed.  

Veterans service
DAV
In 1967, Brown joined the staff of Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a service and advocacy organization.  He served in many different 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.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs
In January 1993, Brown was picked by President Bill Clinton to the position of Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
serving until 1997. He was the first African American to hold that post. During his time as Secretary, Brown offered more services to female veterans, homeless veterans and veterans who were sick because of chemical exposures in Vietnam or the Gulf War. After he resigned as Secretary, Brown founded a consulting firm, Brown and Associates.Jesse Brown, former secretary of Veterans Affairs, succumbs at 58 - National Report. Jet. September 2, 2002. Accessed 25 December 2007.

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.Arlington Cemetery profile.  He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

 References 

 Other websites 

Category:United States Secretaries of Veterans Affairs
Category:Politicians from Chicago
Category:Politicians from Michigan
Category:Deaths from motor neurone disease
Category:1944 births
Category:2002 deaths