Brown was the first of our sheriffs to be born in
the 20th century, in the year 1907.
A native of Massachusetts, he joined the Coast
Guard at the age of 17, attaining the rank of 2nd Class
Quartermaster at the time of his discharge eleven years later.
Subsequent to his employment with the Customs
Service in Seattle, Brown joined the Navy and remained in military
service for nine years, at which time he retired as a lieutenant.
After a stint of unsatisfactory work on a cattle
ranch near Grass Valley, he and his family moved to Alamo in south
central Contra Costa County. It was from this locale that he joined the
Sheriff's department as a radio dispatcher.
Brown was the first sheriff to work his way up
through the department. After serving as a dispatcher he became a part
of the civil defense unit, and from there he made his way to the patrol
division, assuming its command for a time.
During his second year in office, the department
employed a total of 156 people, including sworn and general employees.
