Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense)
Harold Brown (September 19, 1927 – January 4, 2019) was an American nuclear physicist who served as United States Secretary of Defense from 1977 to 1981, under President Jimmy Carter. Previously, in the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson administrations, he held the posts of Director of Defense Research and Engineering (1961–1965) and United States Secretary of the Air Force (1965–1969).
Harold Brown | |
|---|---|
| 14th United States Secretary of Defense | |
| In office January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Donald Rumsfeld |
| Succeeded by | Caspar Weinberger |
| 3rd President of the California Institute of Technology | |
| In office 1969–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Lee Alvin DuBridge |
| Succeeded by | Robert F. Christy (acting) |
| 8th United States Secretary of the Air Force | |
| In office October 1, 1965 – February 15, 1969 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Eugene M. Zuckert |
| Succeeded by | Robert Seamans |
| 2nd Director of Defense Research and Engineering | |
| In office May 8, 1961 – September 30, 1965 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Herbert York |
| Succeeded by | John S. Foster Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 19, 1927 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 4, 2019 (aged 91) Rancho Santa Fe, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Colene Dunning McDowell
(m. 1953) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Columbia University (BS, MS, PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Nuclear physics Atomic physics |
| Institutions | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory California Institute of Technology |
| Thesis | Beta-spectra of gaseous argon-41 and oxygen-15 (1951) |
| Doctoral advisor | Isidor Isaac Rabi |
A child prodigy, Brown graduated from the Bronx High School of Science at age 15, and earned a Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University at age 21. As Secretary of Defense, he set the groundwork for the Camp David Accords, took part in strategic arms negotiations with the Soviet Union, and supported, unsuccessfully, ratification of the SALT II treaty.
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