Brown Willie

American politician, the two-term mayor of San Francisco (1996-2004), first elected on 12 December 1995, the citys first African-American mayor, and sworn in on 8 January 1996. On 8 January 2000, he was sworn in for his second term. He was born into poverty in a small racially segregated Texas town and worked hard to earn money through high school. He moved to San Francisco and worked his way through San Francisco State University (class of 1955) and Hastings College of the Law (earning his J.D. in 1958). Admitted to the State Bar of California, he built his law practice, and, in 1964, was elected to the California Assembly, serving there for 31 years, through 16 elections. In 1980, he became Speaker of the Assembly, the states only African American Speaker, and he held that position for 15 years. In September 1958, Brown married Blanche Vitero, with whom he had three children. The couple separated around 1976 but remained married. He has a daughter, Sydney Brown, by political fund raiser Carolyn Carpeneti. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less