[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25716]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE MEMORY OF ROBERT BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 26, 2009

  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my colleagues here in 
the United States House of Representatives to join me in honoring the 
memory of Robert Brown, the first African American mayor of Orange, New 
Jersey, which is in my congressional district.
  Mr. Brown is remembered by family, friends, and colleagues as a big 
thinker, a role model and an excellent presenter. He was born in 1947 
in Wetumpka, Alabama, but was raised in Albany, New York, where he was 
described as a stellar student and athlete. He earned a football 
scholarship to Central Connecticut State College. After college he 
moved to East Orange and received a law degree in 1973 from Rutgers 
University in Newark.
  Mr. Brown moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked as counsel on 
the Judiciary Committee for the House of Representatives during the 
Watergate hearings. He moved back to East Orange in 1976, and served as 
a municipal prosecutor and as the Essex County public defender before 
opening a private practice. He was widely recognized for his 
outstanding oration ability, his skill as a lawyer, and his strong 
commitment to community service.
  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his son, Remington, and brother, 
Raymond.
  As friends and family gather to remember Robert Brown, we are 
reminded of the tremendous difference that one person can make in the 
lives of others. I know my colleagues here in the United States House 
of Representatives join me in honoring the memory of Mr. Brown and in 
paying tribute to this outstanding person who meant so much to all who 
knew him and to the entire city of Orange.

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