J. Marshall Brown

John Marshall Brown (October 3, 1926 – August 5, 1995) was an American politician and insurance agent from New Orleans, Louisiana, who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 12 in his native Orleans Parish from 1952 to 1960.[3][4][5]

J. Marshall Brown
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 12th district
In office 1952–1960
Preceded by	James L. Earhart
Succeeded by	Moon Landrieu
Louisiana Democratic National Committeeman
In office 1964–1972
Succeeded by	Leon Irwin III
Personal details
Born	(1926-10-03)October 3, 1926[1] Ben's Church, Virginia, US[2]
Died	August 5, 1995(1995-08-05) (aged 68) Bush, Louisiana, US
Resting place	Port Hudson National Cemetery
Nationality	American
Spouse(s)	Marie Blanche Crosby Brown (divorced); Ellen McInnis Brown (m)
Children	9
Residence(s)	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Alma mater	Tulane University
Occupation	Insurance agent

In 1959, Brown announced that he would run for governor of Louisiana, but he soon withdrew from the race ultimately won by former Governor Jimmie Davis.[6]

From 1964 to 1972, Brown was the Louisiana Democratic National Committeeman. He was an active supporter of the Kennedy-Johnson, Johnson-Humphrey, and Humphrey-Muskie tickets in 1960, 1964, and 1968, the first of those having been the only one to win Louisiana's then ten electoral votes.

At the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Brown led the state delegation in opposition to the seating of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, rather than the Mississippi state party regulars. However, there was no walkout considered by the Louisiana delegation in support of the Mississippians when two MFDP delegates were seated as at-large members.[7] A walkout over the civil rights plank had occurred at the 1948 party convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which led to the third party bid by Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who challenged U.S. President Harry S. Truman and the Republican Thomas E. Dewey.

During the 1960s, Brown served on the Louisiana State Board of Education, an elected position, as the representative of Louisiana's 2nd congressional district.[8]

On June 6, 1977, Brown was convicted after a jury trial in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, of having knowingly caused a fraudulently-obtained check to be transported in interstate commerce. Brown's insurance business partner, James A. Heinritz, was also implicated in the case. Brown's appeal was rejected in March 1981 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans. Brown had claimed violation of his Fifth and Sixth amendment rights.[2] Brown was released from the United States Bureau of Prisons on April 5, 1989; the website does not indicated how long or where he served in prison.[9] He died in a vehicle accident on August 5, 1995 at the age of 68.[10]

In 2014, Brown was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.