James Harvey Brown
Encyclopedia
James Harvey Brown was a City Council member in Los Angeles, California, between 1959 and 1964 and then municipal court judge in that city from 1964 to 1985.
. After graduating from high school, he went to sea as a chief radio operator and later worked as a disc jockey
at radio stations KFOX
and KGER. He earned a degree in engineering from UCLA and was chief engineer at KFAC and KGER. In 1937 he became master control supervisor for NBC. During World War II he was a Navy lieutenant assigned to airborne radar
design, working at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and other laboratories. After earning a degree from Southwestern University School of Law, he was both president of and attorney for the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians
.
He was vice chair of the California Democratic Party, 1948–58. He was a Congregationalist.
Brown died July 10, 1995, at the age of 89 in Glendale, California
. Cause of death was given as heart failure. Interment was at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
. Survivors were his wife, Margaret; a daughter, Dorothy O'Leary; a son, James Harvey Brown, Jr.; and two sisters, Blanche Tibbot and Betty Dykstra.
In 1959 Brown ran for the Los Angeles City Council District 13 seat to fill the two years left in Ernest E. Debs
's term when Debs was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
. Brown took office immediately after his victory over Charles Bigler in May of that year. He was reelected in 1961 to a four-year term, which he did not complete because of his appointment to a municipal court judgeship.
In 1960 the 13th District included most of Hollywood. It extended from the Alhambra city limits to Fairfax Avenue
.
Brown "helped develop Dodger Stadium
and Los Angeles International Airport
," according to the Los Angeles Times.
Brown was the first judge to be assigned to Los Angeles's first night traffic court in 1965. In 1966 he headed a committee of judges that agreed to set up a central, computerized file of all outstanding warrants in the county.
Brown presided over the preliminary hearing
for eleven members of the Black Panther Party
who were charged with taking part in a four-hour gun battle with police officers from their Central Avenue headquarters in December 1969. He termed their activities "armed anarchy" and bound them over for trial in Superior Court
.
In 1971 Brown was a leading proponent of a plan to reduced the number of jurors required in a misdemeanor
trial from twelve to six. The idea was rejected by the State Senate.
Brown was on the municipal court bench for a decade before retiring in 1985.
) operator, with the call letters W6VH, and he was a charter member of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, the Society of Wireless Pioneers and the Radio Club of America.
In 1973 he returned to the City Hall to fight a request by Santa Monica Mountains
homeowners to curb "unsightly aerials" of amateur radio operators on hillside rooftops that interfered with the view from expensive lots. Brown said that ham operators had provided valuable communication links in disasters like the Sylmar earthquake
and floods. A city council committee rejected any further control.
Biography
Brown was born on April 26, 1906, in Jamestown, North DakotaJamestown, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,527 people, 6,505 households, and 3,798 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.7 per square mile . There were 6,970 housing units at an average density of 559.6 per square mile...
. After graduating from high school, he went to sea as a chief radio operator and later worked as a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
at radio stations KFOX
KFRN
KFRN 1280 AM is a non-commercial traditional Christian radio station licensed to Long Beach, California and serving the Los Angeles market, which runs programming from Family Radio. Its transmitter is located in Wilmington, California....
and KGER. He earned a degree in engineering from UCLA and was chief engineer at KFAC and KGER. In 1937 he became master control supervisor for NBC. During World War II he was a Navy lieutenant assigned to airborne radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
design, working at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and other laboratories. After earning a degree from Southwestern University School of Law, he was both president of and attorney for the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians
National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians
The National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians is a labor union representing employees in television, radio, film, and media production...
.
He was vice chair of the California Democratic Party, 1948–58. He was a Congregationalist.
Brown died July 10, 1995, at the age of 89 in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
. Cause of death was given as heart failure. Interment was at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
. Survivors were his wife, Margaret; a daughter, Dorothy O'Leary; a son, James Harvey Brown, Jr.; and two sisters, Blanche Tibbot and Betty Dykstra.
Public service
A "conservative Democrat," Brown ran unsuccessfully for seats in the State Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives.City Council
See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1959 and 1961.In 1959 Brown ran for the Los Angeles City Council District 13 seat to fill the two years left in Ernest E. Debs
Ernest E. Debs
Ernest Eugene Debs , who went by Ernest E. Debs, was a California State Assembly member from 1942 to 1947, a Los Angeles city councilman from 1947 to 1958 and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1958 to 1974....
's term when Debs was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the five-member nonpartisan governing board of Los Angeles County, California. Members of the board of supervisors are elected by district. They were as of December 2, 2008:*District 1: Gloria Molina...
. Brown took office immediately after his victory over Charles Bigler in May of that year. He was reelected in 1961 to a four-year term, which he did not complete because of his appointment to a municipal court judgeship.
In 1960 the 13th District included most of Hollywood. It extended from the Alhambra city limits to Fairfax Avenue
Fairfax Avenue
Fairfax Avenue is a street on north central Los Angeles, California. It runs from La Cienega Boulevard with Culver City at its southern end to Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood on its northern end.Fairfax Avenue forms the western boundary of Hancock Park as well as Park La Brea, an 160 acre ,...
.
Brown "helped develop Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
and Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
," according to the Los Angeles Times.
Municipal judge
In 1964, Governor Edmund G. (Pat) Brown appointed Councilman Brown as a municipal court judge. He was sworn in on December 28, with his wife, Ruth Brown, as a witness. His pay was to be $23,000 a year, compared with the $12,000 he was receiving as a councilman.Brown was the first judge to be assigned to Los Angeles's first night traffic court in 1965. In 1966 he headed a committee of judges that agreed to set up a central, computerized file of all outstanding warrants in the county.
Brown presided over the preliminary hearing
Preliminary hearing
Within some criminal justice systems, a preliminary hearing is a proceeding, after a criminal complaint has been filed by the prosecutor, to determine whether there is enough evidence to require a trial...
for eleven members of the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
who were charged with taking part in a four-hour gun battle with police officers from their Central Avenue headquarters in December 1969. He termed their activities "armed anarchy" and bound them over for trial in Superior Court
Superior court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...
.
In 1971 Brown was a leading proponent of a plan to reduced the number of jurors required in a misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
trial from twelve to six. The idea was rejected by the State Senate.
Brown was on the municipal court bench for a decade before retiring in 1985.
Ham radio
He was also a ham-radio (amateur radioAmateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
) operator, with the call letters W6VH, and he was a charter member of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, the Society of Wireless Pioneers and the Radio Club of America.
In 1973 he returned to the City Hall to fight a request by Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
homeowners to curb "unsightly aerials" of amateur radio operators on hillside rooftops that interfered with the view from expensive lots. Brown said that ham operators had provided valuable communication links in disasters like the Sylmar earthquake
Sylmar earthquake
The 1971 San Fernando earthquake struck the San Fernando Valley near Sylmar, California at 6:00:55 a.m. PST on February 9, 1971, with a magnitude of 6.6....
and floods. A city council committee rejected any further control.