Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense)

Harold Brown
Brown in 1970
14th United States Secretary of Defense
In office
January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byDonald Rumsfeld
Succeeded byCaspar Weinberger
3rd President of the California Institute of Technology
In office
1969–1977
Preceded byLee Alvin DuBridge
Succeeded byRobert F. Christy (acting)
8th United States Secretary of the Air Force
In office
October 1, 1965 – February 15, 1969
PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byEugene M. Zuckert
Succeeded byRobert Seamans
2nd Director of Defense Research and Engineering
In office
May 8, 1961 – September 30, 1965
PresidentJohn F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byHerbert York
Succeeded byJohn S. Foster Jr.
Personal details
Born(1927-09-19)September 19, 1927
New York City, U.S.
DiedJanuary 4, 2019(2019-01-04) (aged 91)
Rancho Santa Fe, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic[1]
Spouse
Colene Dunning McDowell
(m. 1953)
Children2
EducationColumbia University (BS, MS, PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsNuclear physics
Atomic physics
InstitutionsLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
ThesisBeta-spectra of gaseous argon-41 and oxygen-15 (1951)
Doctoral advisorIsidor Isaac Rabi

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).[2]

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.[3] 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.

  1. ^ "Harold Brown, Former U.S. Defense Secretary and Secretary of the Air Force, Dies at 91". RAND Corporation. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  2. ^ "Harold Brown". History.defense.gov. Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  3. ^ Edward C. Keefer, Harold Brown: Offsetting the Soviet Military Challenge, 1977–1981, 2017, Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense