Introduction
Algie D. Brown (March 8, 1910—October 29, 2004) was an American military officer, lawyer, and politician from Louisiana. He was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948 to 1972.
Early life and education
Algie Dee Brown was born on March 8, 1910, in a log house in Waldo, Arkansas, to John Spence Brown and Melody Aletha Bryan. He had six siblings.
In 1924, the family relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he attended C.E. Byrd High School (1928) and Centenary College of Louisiana (1934). While at the college, he was the editor-in-chief of Centenary's College Newspaper, The Conglomerate. In 1935, he received his law degree from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at the Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Career
Law
After completing his law education, Brown began his law practice in Shreveport in 1935. His law practice consisted primarily of commercial and real estate transactions.
His legal career was interrupted for 3 years when in 1943 he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve during the Second World War. He served as a First Lieutenant aboard several aircraft carriers in the Pacific Theater and was a radar control officer aboard the U.S.S. Natoma Bay when the escort carrier was hit by a Japanese kamikaze airplane during the Okinawa invasion of 1945.
Brown was honorably discharged from active duty in the Naval Reserve in 1946 and returned to Shreveport to resume his law practice. The following year, he married Hazel Turner.
From 1953 to 1961, Brown's law partner was William J. Fleniken, the former U. S. Attorney and later judge of the Louisiana 1st Judicial District Court.
Politics
In 1948, Brown entered politics and was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives, a position that he held with honor and distinction for 6 consecutive terms until 1972. He ran unopposed for the majority of his tenure. During those 24 years, he served under four different governors—Earl Kemp Long, Robert F. Kennon, Jimmie Davis, and John McKeithen.
While in office, Brown co-authored bills that were instrumental in securing the funding for the establishment of both Southern University in Shreveport and Louisiana State University in Shreveport.
Personal life
Brown was an active and contributing member of the First Baptist Church of Shreveport.
In 1947, Brown married Hazel Turner (April 29, 1919—June 21, 1994) of Shreveport. They had two sons—Bryan Turner Brown, a wildlife biologist residing in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Curtis Siebert Brown, an art historian and art collector of Shreveport.
After Hazel passed away in 1994, he married Elise Beaudreaux (December 20, 1923—October 1, 2003) of Ruston, Louisiana, in 1996. Elise passed away in 2003.
Death
Brown died in Shreveport, Louisiana, on October 29, 2004, at age 94.