Algie D. Brown
Encyclopedia
Algie Dee Brown was a Shreveport
attorney and a Democratic
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from 1948-1972. He served under governors Earl Kemp Long, Robert F. Kennon
, James Houston "Jimmie" Davis
, and John J. McKeithen
. His interest in politics began in the early 1930s when he heard the legendary Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
, give a stem-winding speech in Shreveport.
Brown served in an at-large Caddo Parish delegation during his entire House career. By the time he declined to seek a seventh term in 1972, single-member districts were instituted in Louisiana legislative races. In the 1964 general election, Brown ran third for the five available seats but was outdistanced by GOP candidates Morley A. Hudson
and Taylor W. O'Hearn
. Joining Brown in the delegation were Frank Fulco
and newcomer J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., later a United States senator. Brown was not pleased at finishing behind two Republican beneficiaries of Charlton Lyons
, who was waging the first well-organized GOP campaign for governor in modern Louisiana history.
Brown co-sponsored the 1960 bill creating the ten-member Joint Legislative Committee on Un-American Activities, modeled after the US House Committee on Un-American Activities. The stated purpose of the committee was to investigate "communist and socialist activities" within Louisiana. The bill achieved final approval but only after the Louisiana State Senate
amendeded it to require that the committee act through the office of the state attorney general
, then Jack P.F. Gremillion
, to enforce contempt actions.
Brown was born to John Spence Brown and the former Melody Bryan in a log house on a farm near Waldo
near Magnolia
in southwestern Arkansas. One of seven children, he outlived his six siblings. The Browns moved to Shreveport in 1924, where Algie graduated in 1928 from C.E. Byrd High School, the first public high school in the city. One of his Byrd classmates was his future legislative colleague, Frank Fulco, who became a leader of the Italian American
community in Louisiana. In 1934, Brown received a bachelor of arts
from Methodist-affiliated Centenary College
.
In 1935, Brown obtained his law degree from Louisiana State University
and established his law practice, which was interrupted after eight years by World War II
. Brown was a United States Navy
lieutenant
aboard several aircraft carrier
s in the Pacific Theater
. He was a radar control officer aboard the USS Natoma Bay when the escort carrier was struck by a Japanese kamikaze
airplane during the Okinawa campaign in June 1945. Brown was discharged from active duty in 1946 and resumed his law practice.
In 1947, Brown wed the former Hazel Turner (April 29, 1919-June 21, 1994). In 1996, he married the former Elise Beaudreaux (December 20, 1923-October 1, 2003) of Ruston
, Louisiana. Brown died at his Shreveport home after a lengthy illness. Services were held in the Frost Chapel of the First Baptist Church of Shreveport, of which Brown had been a member for 75 years. Brown was buried beside wife Hazel at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport. He was survived by two sons, Curtis Brown of Shreveport and Bryan Brown, two grandsons, and three stepchildren.
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
attorney and a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from 1948-1972. He served under governors Earl Kemp Long, Robert F. Kennon
Robert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
, James Houston "Jimmie" Davis
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis , better known as Jimmie Davis, was a noted singer of both sacred and popular songs who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 47th Governor of Louisiana...
, and John J. McKeithen
John McKeithen
John Julian McKeithen was the 49th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1964 to 1972. A Democrat from the town of Columbia, he was the first governor of his state in the twentieth century to serve two consecutive terms...
. His interest in politics began in the early 1930s when he heard the legendary Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
, give a stem-winding speech in Shreveport.
Brown served in an at-large Caddo Parish delegation during his entire House career. By the time he declined to seek a seventh term in 1972, single-member districts were instituted in Louisiana legislative races. In the 1964 general election, Brown ran third for the five available seats but was outdistanced by GOP candidates Morley A. Hudson
Morley A. Hudson
Morley Alvin Hudson , was a Shreveport businessman, engineer, civic leader, and a pioneer of the modern Republican Party in Louisiana.Hudson was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Oscar Hudson and the former Ruth Morley...
and Taylor W. O'Hearn
Taylor W. O'Hearn
Taylor Walters O'Hearn was a pioneer in the rebirth of the Republican Party in Louisiana during the mid-twentieth century. He and Morley A. Hudson, both of Shreveport in Caddo Parish, were the first two Republicans elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives since Reconstruction. The pair...
. Joining Brown in the delegation were Frank Fulco
Frank Fulco
Frank J. Fulco, Sr. , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1956–1972 and a leader of the Italian-American community in his native Louisiana...
and newcomer J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., later a United States senator. Brown was not pleased at finishing behind two Republican beneficiaries of Charlton Lyons
Charlton Lyons
Charlton Havard Lyons, Sr., also known as Big Papa Lyons , was a Shreveport oilman who in 1964 waged the first determined Republican bid for the Louisiana governorship since Reconstruction. Lyons also made a strong but losing bid for the United States House of Representatives in a special election...
, who was waging the first well-organized GOP campaign for governor in modern Louisiana history.
Brown co-sponsored the 1960 bill creating the ten-member Joint Legislative Committee on Un-American Activities, modeled after the US House Committee on Un-American Activities. The stated purpose of the committee was to investigate "communist and socialist activities" within Louisiana. The bill achieved final approval but only after the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
amendeded it to require that the committee act through the office of the state attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
, then Jack P.F. Gremillion
Jack P.F. Gremillion
Jack Paul Faustin Gremillion, Sr. , was the Democratic attorney general of Louisiana from 1956-1972. He was a member of the Earl Kemp Long political faction. Though he opposed school desegregation, he was a party loyalist and was an elector for the John F. Kennedy--Lyndon B. Johnson presidential...
, to enforce contempt actions.
Brown was born to John Spence Brown and the former Melody Bryan in a log house on a farm near Waldo
Waldo, Arkansas
Waldo is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,594 at the 2000 census.Waldo celebrated its 120th year as a city in 2007. The small town was once a booming rail city on the Cotton Belt train route...
near Magnolia
Magnolia, Arkansas
Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States, that was founded in 1853. At the time of its incorporation in 1858, the city had a population of about 1,950. The city grew slowly as an agricultural and regional cotton market until the discovery of oil just east of the city in March,...
in southwestern Arkansas. One of seven children, he outlived his six siblings. The Browns moved to Shreveport in 1924, where Algie graduated in 1928 from C.E. Byrd High School, the first public high school in the city. One of his Byrd classmates was his future legislative colleague, Frank Fulco, who became a leader of the Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
community in Louisiana. In 1934, Brown received a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Methodist-affiliated Centenary College
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
.
In 1935, Brown obtained his law degree from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
and established his law practice, which was interrupted after eight years by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Brown was a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
aboard several aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s in the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
. He was a radar control officer aboard the USS Natoma Bay when the escort carrier was struck by a Japanese kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
airplane during the Okinawa campaign in June 1945. Brown was discharged from active duty in 1946 and resumed his law practice.
In 1947, Brown wed the former Hazel Turner (April 29, 1919-June 21, 1994). In 1996, he married the former Elise Beaudreaux (December 20, 1923-October 1, 2003) of Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, Louisiana. Brown died at his Shreveport home after a lengthy illness. Services were held in the Frost Chapel of the First Baptist Church of Shreveport, of which Brown had been a member for 75 years. Brown was buried beside wife Hazel at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport. He was survived by two sons, Curtis Brown of Shreveport and Bryan Brown, two grandsons, and three stepchildren.