Edmund G. Brown papers, 1907-1996

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Summary

Creators:
Brown, Edmund G. (Edmund Gerald), 1905-1996
Abstract:
The Edmund G. Brown Papers document the career of an American politician who served as the 32nd California Governor. Prior to his two terms as Governor, from 1959-1967, Brown served as San Francisco District Attorney (1944-1950) and Attorney General of California (1951-1958). His son, Jerry, has also served four terms as the 34th and the 39th Governor of California.
Extent:
974.5 linear feet (763 cartons, 26 volumes, 8 oversize boxes, 8 packages, 1 box, 1 tube, 11 oversize folders)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Edmund G. Brown papers, BANC MSS 68/90 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

The Edmund G. Brown Papers consist primarily of files Brown compiled during his career as a politician. The bulk of the collection is comprised of materials documenting Brown's tenure as Governor of the state of California; also prominent are materials pertaining to his time as San Francisco District Attorney and Attorney General of California, along with Brown's legal files, campaign and political files, and personal correspondence. The collection encompasses a range of materials—including correspondence, speeches, press releases, reports, schedules, campaign literature, and ephemera—most notably documenting such topics as: California politics and the Democratic Party, including the campaign and first two terms of his son, Jerry Brown, as Governor; criminal justice and capital punishment, especially in regards to the Caryl Chessman case; California population and transportation expansion; the California Master Plan for Higher Education and State Water Project; the Watts Riots in Los Angeles and subsequent McCone Commission; and other civil rights issues, including the Rumford Fair Housing Act, the farm labor movement, and the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley.

Biographical / historical:

Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown (1905-1996) was the 32nd California Governor, serving two terms from 1959-1967.

Born on April 21, 1905 in San Francisco, California, Brown acquired the nickname "Pat" during his school years, when he referred to Patrick Henry's famous quotation "give me liberty, or give me death" while urging others to buy liberty bonds during World War I. He was a debate champion and class secretary at Lowell High School in San Francisco, where he graduated in 1923. Brown attended night law school after graduation, while working first at his father's cigar store and later in the legal offices of Milton Schmitt. In 1927 he graduated from the San Francisco College of Law, passed the California State bar exam, and took over Schmitt's law practice. Brown married his high school sweetheart, Bernice Layne, three years later in 1930.

Brown's political career began in 1928, when he unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for the California State Assembly. He joined the Democratic Party in 1932, and was an active party member for the rest of his life. Brown campaigned for public office in 1939 but lost in his bid to become District Attorney of San Francisco; undeterred, he ran again in 1943 and was elected for the first of two terms. Brown began looking toward state office during his tenure as District Attorney, making the decision to run for California Attorney General in 1946. Losing in his initial bid, he ran again four years later and was elected Attorney General in 1950, then successfully campaigned for a second term in 1954.

By now a well-established politician both statewide and nationally, Brown ran against Senator William Knowland in 1958 for Governor of California, winning in a landslide. California's population was growing rapidly, which was reflected in the policies and laws enacted during his first term, including The California Master Plan for Higher Education, California highway expansion, and the advent of the State Water Project. Brown also became embroiled in death penalty politics during the prominent last-minute stay and eventual execution of Caryl Chessman in 1960. He was re-elected as Governor in 1962, defeating the former Vice President Richard Nixon in a hotly-contested campaign. While his first term was characterized by expansion, Brown's second term was marked by turbulence and civil rights issues, including the Rumford Fair Housing Act and Proposition 14, the Watts Riots, the Free Speech Movement at the University of California Berkeley, and Vietnam War protests. Brown ran for a third term as Governor in 1966 but lost decisively to future President Ronald Reagan, thus ending his political career.

Brown returned to practicing law upon leaving political office; he also wrote three books and continued his involvement with the Democratic Party. Two of his four children followed him into political office: His son, Jerry, has served as Attorney General, Secretary of State, and four terms as Governor of California, while his daughter, Kathleen, served as State Treasurer and also ran unsuccessfully for Governor. In 1980, Brown helped create the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs as a vehicle for discussion of California's government policy; the institute is now located at California State University, Los Angeles. Brown died in Beverly Hills at the age of 90, on February 16, 1996. He is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, California.

Acquisition information:
The Edmund G. Brown Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by Edmund G. Brown and Bernice Brown on 12/15/1967.
Processing information:

Processed by David Uhlich, Natalie Bond, Samantha Cairo-Toby, and Josh Roselle in 2013-2014. Funding for processing this collection was provided by a National Historical Publications and Records Commission grant.

Arrangement:

The Edmund G. Brown Papers are divided into six series: Personal Files; Private Attorney Files; District Attorney Files; Attorney General Files; Gubernatorial Files; Campaign and Political Files.

Accruals:

No additions are expected.

Physical location:
Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite. Advance notice is required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
DACS

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research with the exception of cartons 762-763, and box 1 which are restricted. Requests for use of these materials must be approved by the appropriate curator.

Terms of access:

Although all reasonable and customary best practices have been pursued, this collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and retulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosuer of certain information pretaining to identifiable living individuals in this collection wihouth the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications for which the University of California, Berkeley assumes no responsibility.

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies

Preferred citation:

Edmund G. Brown papers, BANC MSS 68/90 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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