Brown, Lee

Lee Paul Brown (1937–) is known for his role as the first African American mayor of the city of Houston, Texas. In addition to his political service, Brown had an extensive career in law enforcement that spanned four decades. He achieved national recognition as the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) under President Bill Clinton. Brown held the “drug czar” position, as the directorship became known, from 1993 to 1996. During his time as the ONDCP director, Lee Brown faced congressional opposition to his continued efforts to fight the “drug war” through increased federal funding for drug treatment and prevention programs.

Lee Brown received his Master's degree in criminology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1968. Brown returned to Berkeley ...