Tom Fairfield Brown

Tom Fairfield Brown
Chair of the Florida Republican Party
In office
June 23, 1962 – June 18, 1966
Preceded byG. Harold Alexander
Succeeded byWilliam F. Murfin[1]
Personal details
Born(1926-06-20)June 20, 1926
DiedSeptember 29, 2012(2012-09-29) (aged 86)
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Ora Katherine Cannon
​
​
(m. 1950)​
Children5
Alma materUniversity of Florida Levin College of Law

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 beginning in 1951.[4]

Political career

Brown was first involved in politics when he volunteered for the Robert A. Taft headquarters in 1952.[4] That same year, he ran as the Republican candidate for the state legislature from Hillsborough County, where he received 20,000 votes.[4] In 1956, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention.[6] He served as an alternate delegate to William C. Cramer in 1960.[5] 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] (née Ora Katherine Cannon)[4] who he met on a New Years' Eve blind date in Tampa in 1946.[4] They had five children.[4]

References

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