Charles Bruce Brownson (February 5, 1914 – August 4, 1988) was an American

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran who served four terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

from 1951 to 1959.

Biography

Born in

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is a city in Jackson County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 31,309 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Interstate 94 in Michigan, Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127 in Michigan, U.S ...

, Brownson moved with his parents to

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

, in 1916. He attended public schools. He graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1935. He entered Infantry Reserve training in 1935. He moved to

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, in October 1936 and established the Central Wallpaper & Paint Corp.

World War II

Brownson entered active duty as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

Infantry Reserve, February 10, 1941. He served as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1, Eighty-third Infantry Division, in 1943, then as Executive officer to Assistant Chief of Staff G-1, First Army, during invasion planning in England and combat in Europe until V-E Day, and then transferred with First Army Planning Headquarters to Canlubang,

Philippine Islands The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, August 5, 1945. He was released from active duty February 27, 1946, as a lieutenant colonel, Army Reserve, and retired as a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1974. He was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

, and French Medaille de Reconnaissance. He served as chairman of the Marion County Juvenile Court Advisory Council in 1948 and 1949.

American Legion

He was an active member of The American Legion and belonged to John H. Holliday Jr. American Legion Post 186 in Indianapolis. He was elected as the 33rd Commander of the Department of Indiana's 11th District, encompassing all of Marion County-including Indianapolis, serving from the time of his election in the summer of 1949 until his declaration as a candidate for the United States Congress in 1950.

Congress

Brownson was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-second and to the three succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1959) representing Indiana's 11th Congressional District. Brownson voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights law passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. E ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1958 to the Eighty-sixth Congress.

Later career and death

Brownson served as assistant administrator for public affairs and congressional liaison,

Housing and Home Finance Agency The Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA) was responsible for the principal housing programs of the United States from 1947 to 1965. It was superseded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and preceded by the National Housing A ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

from 1959 to 1964. He was editor and publisher of Congressional Staff Directory. He engaged in public relations in Washington, D.C. from 1961 to 1985. He was a resident of

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

, and

Mount Vernon, Virginia Mount Vernon is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,914 at the 2020 census. Primarily due to its historical significance and natural recreation and beauty ...

, until his death in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, on August 4, 1988. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

References

External links

Charles Bruce Brownson entry
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brownson, Charles Bruce 1914 births 1988 deaths American Presbyterians Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Coral Gables, Florida Politicians from Jackson, Michigan Politicians from Indianapolis Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army colonels University of Michigan Law School alumni People from Mount Vernon, Virginia United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Michigan Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives