Tom Fairfield Brown Explained

Birth Date:20 June 1926
Children:5
Party:Republican
Term Start:June 23, 1962
Office:Chair of the Florida Republican Party
Predecessor:G. Harold Alexander
Term End:June 18, 1966
Alma Mater:University of Florida Levin College of Law
Successor:William F. Murfin[1]

Tom Fairfield Brown Sr. (June 20, 1926 – September 29, 2012) was an American lawyer in Tampa, Florida who served as chairman of the Florida Republican Party from 1962 to 1966.[2]

Early life

Brown was born on June 20, 1926,[3] to Sidney C. Brown and Myra Fairfield.[4] He graduated from Hillsborough High School and the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 1951.[5] He served in the United States Navy during World War II. He practiced law in Tampa since 1951.

Political career

Brown was first involved in politics when he volunteered for the Robert A. Taft headquarters in 1952. That same year, he ran as the Republican candidate for the state legislature from Hillsborough County, where he received 20,000 votes. In 1956, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention.[6] He served as an alternate delegate to William C. Cramer in 1960. On June 23, 1962, he defeated Charles R. Holley for the chairmanship and was elected, succeeding G. Harold Alexander.[7] One of his first priorities was to move the GOP headquarters from Fort Myers to Tampa.[8]

Personal life

In 1950, he married Katherine C. Brown,[9] who he met on a New Years' Eve blind date in Tampa in 1946. They had five children.

Notes and References

  1. News: 1966-06-19 . State GOP Picks An Unknown And Harmony . 2024-02-01 . The Bradenton Herald . 1.
  2. Web site: Tom Fairfield Brown Obituary (2012) - Tampa, FL - Tributes. www.legacy.com.
  3. Web site: FamilySearch.org . 2024-02-01 . ancestors.familysearch.org.
  4. News: 1962-06-25 . Tom Fairfield Got A Very Early Start In Hard Politics . 2024-02-01 . Tampa Bay Times . 13.
  5. News: 1962-06-25 . Brown’s First Objective: Get Republicans Elected . 2024-02-01 . The Tampa Tribune . 15.
  6. Web site: The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Brown, S to T . politicalgraveyard.com.
  7. News: 1962-06-24 . GOP Picks Tampa Man . 2024-02-01 . The Miami News . 62.
  8. News: 1962-08-01 . GOP To Open Headquarters In Tampa . 2024-02-01 . The Tampa Times . 1.
  9. Web site: UF Digital Collections . 2024-02-01 . ufdc.ufl.edu.