Tyrone Brown (lawyer)
Tyrone Brown | |
---|---|
Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission | |
In office November 15, 1977 – January 31, 1981 | |
President | Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan |
Personal details | |
Born | Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. | November 5, 1942
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Hamilton College (AB) Cornell Law School (JD) |
Tyrone Brown (born November 5, 1942) is an American attorney and retired government official. From 1977 to 1981, Brown served as a member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Brown is currently a consulting counsel at Wiley Rein LLP, a law firm based in Washington, D.C.
Early life and education
[edit]Brown was born on November 5, 1942, in Norfolk, Virginia, and grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. In 1960, Brown graduated from East Orange High School.[1] He received an A.B. from Hamilton College.[2] In 1967, he graduated with a LL.B. with distinction from Cornell Law School, where he was Managing Editor of the Cornell Law Review.[3]
Career
[edit]Law career
[edit]After graduation, he served as a law clerk for Chief Justice Earl Warren of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1967-1968 Term.[4][5] In 1968, Brown joined Covington & Burling's Washington, D.C., office. From 1970, he held a series of federal government appointments and staff positions at the United States Senate, and then several corporate posts in publishing. From 1974 to 1977, he was an attorney at Caplin & Drysdale in Washington, D.C.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
[edit]In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Brown to the Federal Communications Commission, succeeding Benjamin Hooks.[6][7] Initially, Brown declined the offer for the 21 months left on the term over concern on reappointment.[8] Hamilton Jordan, an aide to Carter, persuaded Brown to accept.[7] After approval by the Senate, Brown began his term on November 15, 1977, while continuing his participation in civil rights advocacy.[9][10]
One of his goals as commissioner was to increase minority ownership of broadcasting stations.[11] In 1978, he opposed dropping "public interest" from the FCC's consideration for broadcast licenses.[12] On June 11, 1979, Carter nominated Brown for reappointment to the FCC for a seven-year term and he was confirmed.[13] On January 31, 1981, Brown resigned from the Commission following the election of President Ronald Reagan, and was replaced by Mark S. Fowler.[14][15][16][17]
Post-FCC career
[edit]Later, Brown practiced law at Steptoe & Johnson and at Wiley Rein LLP, as well as serving as president of the Media Access Project from 2010 to 2013.[18][19][20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Flannery, Gerald V. (1995). Commissioners of the FCC, 1927-1994. University Press of America. p. 181. ISBN 081919669X. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Memmott, Jim. "1964 Class Annalists Letter". Hamilton College. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ "Journal Staff-Managing Editor, Tyrone Brown". Cornell L. Rev. 52 (2): 300. 1967. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Peppers, Todd C. (2006). Courtiers of the Marble Palace: The Rise and Influence of the Supreme Court Law Clerk. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press. p. 241, fn 13. ISBN 0804753822. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ Booker, Simeon (August 17, 1967). "Tape USA-Tyrone Brown". Jet Magazine. XXXII (19). Johnson Publishing: 13. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ "Jimmy Carter-Federal Communications Commission Nomination of Tyrone Brown To Be a Member". American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. June 11, 1979. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ a b Brown Takes Over Hooks' FCC Seat. Black Enterprise Magazine. January 1978. p. 12. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ "FCC Replaces Hooks with a Black-Atty Tyrone Brown". Jet Magazine. 53 (3). Johnson Publishing: 5. October 6, 1977. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ Zarkin, Kimberly; Zarkin, Michael J. (2006). The Federal Communications Commission: Front Line in the Culture and Regulation Wars. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 162. ISBN 0313334161. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Whitaker, Joseph D. (December 19, 1977). "Lawyers' Group Here Works for Civil Rights in South Africa". Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Brown Becomes Visible as Newest FCC Member. Jet Magazine-Johnson Publishing Company. March 16, 1978. p. 19. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Shifrin, Carole (July 19, 1978). "FCC Members Oppose Executive Branch Unit". Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ Carter, Jimmy (June 11, 1979). Federal Communications Commission-Nomination of Tyrone Brown to be a Member, in Public Papers of the President, Jimmy Carter. Best Books on. ISBN 1623767725. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ Holsendolph, Ernest (January 9, 1981). "Brown, F.C.C. Democrat, to Resign From Agency". New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Hodge, Paul (February 12, 1981). "FCC to Move Headquarters to Rosslyn". Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ Earl g. Graves, Ltd (April 1981). "Brown Resigns". Black Enterprise Magazine. 11 (9): 15–16. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ "President Reagan Friday nominated Washington lawyer Mark S. Fowler". UPI.com. United Press International. March 13, 1981. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ "Tyrone Brown to Leave Wiley Rein for Media Access Project". The Blog of LegalTimes. March 24, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Kang, Cecilia (March 25, 2010). "Media Access Project CEO Brown asks FCC about price competition". Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Castillo, Michelle (December 21, 2010). "FCC Passes Ruling To Protect Net Neutrality". Time Magazine. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
External links
[edit]- Appearances on C-SPAN
- The HistoryMakers video oral history with Tyrone Brown (2016).
- Interview of Tyrone Brown (15:52 mins), Cornell Law School, April 14, 1988.
- 1942 births
- Living people
- East Orange High School alumni
- Politicians from East Orange, New Jersey
- Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American lawyers
- Hamilton College (New York) alumni
- Cornell Law School alumni
- Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States
- Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
- Members of the Federal Communications Commission
- Carter administration personnel
- Reagan administration personnel
- 20th-century African-American lawyers