Anthony Brown (Maryland politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anthony Brown
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Official portrait, 2023
|
|
| 47th Attorney General of Maryland | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 |
|
| Governor | Larry Hogan Wes Moore |
| Preceded by | Brian Frosh |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 4th district |
|
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2023 |
|
| Preceded by | Donna Edwards |
| Succeeded by | Glenn Ivey |
| 8th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland | |
| In office January 17, 2007 – January 21, 2015 |
|
| Governor | Martin O'Malley |
| Preceded by | Michael Steele |
| Succeeded by | Boyd Rutherford |
| Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 25th district |
|
| In office January 14, 1999 – January 14, 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Brenda Hughes |
| Succeeded by | Aisha Braveboy |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Anthony Gregory Brown
November 21, 1961 Huntington, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
Patricia Arzuaga
(m. 1993; div. 2009)Karmen Walker Bailey
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | United States Military Academy Harvard University (AB, JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1984–2014 |
| Rank |  Colonel (retired) |
| Unit | 3rd Infantry Division (Active) 10th LSO (Reserve) 353rd CACOM (OIF) 153rd LSO (Reserve) |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Bronze Star |
Anthony Gregory Brown (born November 21, 1961) is an American politician and lawyer. He is currently the Attorney General of Maryland since 2023. Before this, he was a U.S. Representative for Maryland's 4th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. He also served as the 8th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015.
Brown is a member of the Democratic Party. He ran for governor in 2014 but lost to Larry Hogan. Brown served two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1999 to 2007. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2006 and re-elected in 2010. He is a retired colonel in the United States Army Reserve, having served for over thirty years. While Lieutenant Governor, Brown was the highest-ranking elected official in the U.S. to have served in Iraq. In 2016, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2021, Brown decided not to run for re-election to the U.S. House. Instead, he ran for Attorney General of Maryland and won in 2022, becoming Maryland's first Black Attorney General.
Contents
Anthony Brown: A Leader for Maryland
Early Life and Education
Anthony Brown was born in 1961 in Huntington, New York. His parents were immigrants. His father, Roy Hershel Brown, was a doctor from Cuba and Jamaica. His mother, Lilly I. Berlinger, was from Switzerland. They met in Zurich, Switzerland, and later moved to New York.
Anthony grew up in Huntington, New York, and went to public schools. He graduated from Huntington High School in 1979. In his last year, he became the first African American student to be elected president of the student council. After high school, Brown first attended the United States Military Academy (West Point). He then transferred to Harvard College, where he studied government.
At Harvard, Brown joined the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at MIT. He earned a scholarship and graduated from Harvard in 1984 with honors. He was also recognized as a Distinguished Military Graduate.
Military Service
After college, Brown became a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served on active duty for five years. He trained as a helicopter pilot and earned his Army aviator wings. He also completed airborne training, earning the Basic Parachutist Badge and the Air Assault Badge.
Brown served as a helicopter pilot with the Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division in Europe. He held various leadership roles, including platoon leader and logistics officer.
Law School and Legal Career
After his active military service, Brown went to Harvard Law School in 1989. He earned his law degree (JD) in 1992. He was a member of the Board of Student Advisers.
After law school, Brown worked for a chief judge for two years. In 1994, he joined a law firm in Washington, D.C., called Wilmer Cutler Pickering (now WilmerHale). He worked on cases helping people who couldn't afford legal help, earning an award for his public service. In 2000, he joined another law firm in Prince George's County.
Serving as a Military Lawyer (JAG Corps)
Brown continued his military service in the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) as a military lawyer in the United States Army Reserve. He attended the JAG School at the University of Virginia. He reached the rank of colonel before retiring in 2014 after 30 years of service.
In 2004, while serving in the Maryland House of Delegates, Brown was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served in cities like Baghdad and Fallujah. He worked as a senior consultant to the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration. For his service in Iraq, Brown received the Bronze Star.
Maryland House of Delegates
Brown's political career began in 1998. He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, representing the 25th district in Prince George's County. He served two terms.
During his time in the House of Delegates, Brown held important leadership positions. He served on the House Economic Matters Committee. In 2003, he became the vice chair of the Judiciary Committee. In 2004, he was appointed as the majority whip, which is the fourth-highest position in the House.
Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
In 2006, Brown was elected lieutenant governor alongside Martin O'Malley, who became Governor. They were the only challenging candidates to win against an incumbent governor and lieutenant governor team that year. Brown was sworn in on January 17, 2007. Both Brown and O'Malley were re-elected in 2010. Brown was the first person to become lieutenant governor directly from the Maryland House of Delegates.
Governor O'Malley assigned Brown to lead efforts on several important policy areas. These included improving health care, supporting economic growth, helping victims of domestic violence, increasing access to higher education, and providing better services for veterans. In 2010, Brown was elected chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.
Health Care Efforts
As co-chair of Maryland's Health Care Reform Coordinating Council, Lt. Governor Brown worked to lower costs, expand access, and improve health care quality for all Maryland residents. He helped put the Affordable Care Act into action in Maryland. He also led efforts to create a health insurance exchange in 2011 and 2012.
The launch of the health insurance exchange website faced challenges. The state had to make changes to the site and consider building a new one. Brown also worked to address health differences among different groups in Maryland. In 2012, he created Health Enterprise Zones. These zones use special programs to bring more doctors and health services to communities that need them. The goal is to reduce preventable diseases like asthma and diabetes.
Economic Development and Partnerships
Brown also led the administration's economic development work. He chaired several initiatives, including a commission on public-private partnerships. These partnerships involve working with private companies to fund and build public projects like roads or buildings.
He also led the state's efforts for Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). This was a process where military bases were moved or closed, bringing many new jobs and families to Maryland. Brown worked to make sure Maryland was ready for these changes. In 2011, he was recognized as Public Official of the Year for his leadership on BRAC.
Education Initiatives
Under the O'Malley-Brown Administration, Maryland's schools improved greatly. Maryland's schools were ranked #1 in the country for four years in a row.
Brown supported efforts to increase funding for education and other programs. The administration worked to make college more affordable and accessible. They invested in community colleges and tried to keep costs down at four-year public universities. As a result, more students graduated with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In 2010, Lt. Governor Brown launched the Skills2Compete initiative. This program helps Marylanders gain skills through training programs or degrees.
Support for Veterans
As the highest-ranking elected official in the U.S. to have served in Iraq, Brown led efforts to improve benefits and services for Maryland's veterans.
In 2012, Brown announced the Maryland Homefront program. This program helps military members and veterans find homes by offering lower mortgage rates. He also helped pass a law allowing veterans to have their veteran status noted on their driver's licenses.
In 2008, Brown helped pass a package of laws called "Maryland's Commitment to Veterans." This included funding for mental health services for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Other laws expanded scholarships for veterans and their families. They also created programs to help members of the Maryland National Guard returning from service.
2014 Gubernatorial Election
Anthony Brown announced he would run for governor in 2014. He chose Ken Ulman as his running mate. Brown won the Democratic primary election in June 2014. However, he was defeated by Republican nominee Larry Hogan in the general election on November 4, 2014.
| Maryland gubernatorial election, 2014 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Larry Hogan | 847,280 | 51.45% | +9.66% | |
| Democratic | Anthony Brown | 771,242 | 46.83% | -9.41% | |
| Libertarian | Shawn Quinn | 23,813 | 1.44% | +0.68% | |
| Write-ins | 4,265 | 0.25% | |||
| Turnout | 1,655,375 | 45% | |||
U.S. House of Representatives
In 2015, Anthony Brown announced he would run for the U.S. House of Representatives. He ran for the seat in Maryland's 4th district, which was being left open by Donna Edwards. He won the Democratic primary election with 41 percent of the vote.
Brown won the general election in 2016, receiving over 73 percent of the votes.
Committee Assignments
In the U.S. House, Brown served on several important committees:
- Committee on Armed Services (He was Vice Chair from 2017 to 2021)
- Committee on Ethics
- Committee on Natural Resources
- Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
Attorney General of Maryland
.jpg)
On October 25, 2021, Brown announced that he would not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Instead, he decided to run for Attorney General of Maryland.
He won the Democratic primary election on July 19, 2022. He then defeated Republican lawyer Michael Peroutka in the general election on November 8, 2022.
.jpg)
Brown was sworn in as Attorney General on January 3, 2023. He made history by becoming Maryland's first Black Attorney General.
As Attorney General, Brown has set goals to improve his office. He supports laws that allow him to take legal action against companies or individuals who violate civil rights. The Maryland General Assembly passed bills in 2023 that give the Attorney General's office more power to investigate police-involved deaths and civil rights violations.
Personal Life
Anthony Brown married Patricia Arzuaga in 1993. They had two children, Rebecca and Jonathan, before they separated in 2009. Jonathan was adopted.
Brown married Karmen Walker on May 27, 2012. Karmen is the widow of a police officer. Brown became the stepfather to her son, Anthony. Brown is Catholic.
Awards and Decorations
Brown has received many awards and decorations for his military service, including:
- Legion of Merit
- Bronze Star Medal
- Meritorious Service Medal
- Army Commendation Medal
- Army Achievement Medal
- Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Iraq Campaign Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
- Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
- Armed Forces Reserve Medal
- Army Service Ribbon
- Army Overseas Service Ribbon
- Army Reserve Overseas Training Ribbon
He also earned the Army Aviator Badge, the Army Superior Unit Award, the Basic Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.
See also
