07 LC 96
2342
House
Resolution 499
By:
Representatives Powell of the
29th,
Hanner of the
148th,
Shaw of the
176th,
Porter of the
143rd,
Parrish of the
156th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Honoring
and remembering the life of Mr. Thomas Watson Brown, Sr.; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
Georgia has lost one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of
Thomas Watson Brown, Sr., a distinguished lawyer and philanthropist of Marietta;
and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Brown had a highly developed sense of history and reverence for the past; he
was the great-grandson of Tom Watson, a fiery national leader of the Populist
Party and 1896 vice presidential candidate; the son of a well-known Washington
radio journalist, Walter "Red" Brown; and the proud owner of an 1842 antebellum
home; and
WHEREAS,
educated at Princeton and Harvard, he was a passionate lover of learning who
donated generously to the University of Georgia and to Mercer University Press,
to which he left his 15,000 volume library; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Brown claimed that he despised Republicans and was described by others as a
"Jeffersonian Democrat," and, although he never ran for office, he had a major
impact on politics through his many donations, his many close friendships with
both Republicans and Democrats, and through his vigorous wit and highly
sharpened skill in debate; and
WHEREAS,
to his many acquaintances, he was as brilliant as he was enigmatic; only Thomas
Brown could simultaneously display the Confederate flag at his home, maintain a
grudge against the Republican Party for its actions at the onset of the Civil
War, and receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Center´s community service
award, personally presented by Coretta Scott King; and
WHEREAS,
as the owner of Spartan Communications, a chain of broadcast stations he
inherited from his father, he was a champion of the free press who contributed
$50,000 each election cycle for the Atlanta Press Club to air candidate debates;
and
WHEREAS, he was an unrelenting defender of his great-grandfather, Thomas Watson, a publisher and U.S. Senator who ran with William Jennings Bryan in 1896 and whose statue stands with raised fists on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol building; and
WHEREAS, he was an unrelenting defender of his great-grandfather, Thomas Watson, a publisher and U.S. Senator who ran with William Jennings Bryan in 1896 and whose statue stands with raised fists on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol building; and
WHEREAS,
as an attorney, Mr. Brown was instrumental in bringing the MARTA transit system
to metro Atlanta in the 1970s; and
WHEREAS,
he leaves behind three daughters, Melissa Ellen Brown Cummings, Anne Georgia
Lawrence Brown McCarrol, and Elizabeth Courtney Brown; a son, Thomas Watson
Brown, Jr.; and eight grandchildren; and
WHEREAS,
in life he commanded the esteem of his fellow Georgians; at his death it is
fitting and proper that we extend sympathy to his family, colleagues, and
friends.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body join together to honor and remember the incredible life of Mr. Thomas
Watson Brown, Sr., and extend their most sincere condolences to his
family.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Mr. Thomas
Watson Brown, Sr.