Christopher A. Brown (born August 3, 1964) is an American Republican Party politician who represented the 2nd Legislative District in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

from January 9, 2018, to July 19, 2021, when he left office to accept a position with the

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Function The NJDCA provides "administrative guidance, financial support, and technical assistance to local governments, community develop ...

. He previously served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

from January 10, 2012, to January 9, 2018. He is a veteran of the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

Early life

Brown was born in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, in 1964. He earned a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

degree from

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

in 1987, and after graduation was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He served in the Army during the Gulf War, attached to the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

. He was awarded the

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

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces (United States Army), Special Forces soldiers in the rank of Colonel (United States), colonel and below, wh ...

for his service in the ground offensive in Iraq. He received a J.D. degree from

Widener University School of Law Widener University Delaware Law School (Delaware Law School and formerly Widener University School of Law) is a private law school in Wilmington, Delaware. It is one of two separate ABA-accredited law schools of Widener University. Widener Un ...

in 1991. In 1991–1992, Brown interned with L. Anthony Gibson, Presiding Judge of the Chancery Division of the

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts: under Article Six of the State Consti ...

for

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

and

Cape May Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Th ...

Counties. In 1992–1993, he clerked for Superior Court Judge Charles R. Previti. He is board certified by the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases cha ...

as a civil trial attorney and has been admitted to the bar in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He has served as the Prosecutor of Egg Harbor Township, Solicitor for the Atlantic City Council, Solicitor for the Atlantic City Board of Education and Assistant Solicitor for Egg Harbor Township. In 2008, Brown was called up for service in the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

and spent three months preparing to deploy to Iraq. However, the Army determined that it had made a mistake in activating him, and he was sent home, receiving an honorable discharge. Brown is a resident of

Ventnor City, New Jersey Ventnor City is a city situated on the Jersey Shore on Absecon Island, within Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,210, a decrease of 1,440 ( ...

with his wife Christine, married 1993, and their three children.

New Jersey Assembly

In 2011, Brown ran as a Republican for the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

representing the 2nd District, filling the seat of Vincent J. Polistina, who left the Assembly in an unsuccessful bid for the

, running against incumbent

Jim Whelan James "Jim" Whelan (November 8, 1948 – August 22, 2017) was an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate where he represented the 2nd Legislative District, from January 8, 2008, until his death. Early ...

. Brown and his running mate John F. Amodeo defeated the Democratic candidates, Alisa Cooper and Damon Tyner. He was sworn in on January 10, 2012. In the Assembly he served as Assistant Republican Leader from January 12, 2016, to January 9, 2018.

Committees

*Consumer Affairs *Tourism and the Arts *Regulatory Oversight *Tourism and Gaming

New Jersey Senate

After incumbent senator Jim Whelen's death on August 22, 2017, Democrat

Colin Bell Colin Bell may refer to: * Colin Bell (academic) (1942–2003), English academic * Colin Bell (footballer, born 1946) (1946–2021), English international footballer * Colin Bell (footballer, born 1961), English football coach * Colin Bell (journal ...

was unanimously selected to fill the remainder of Whelan's senate term and took office, making him the incumbent senator going into the November 2017 general election. In one of the most expensive of the 120 legislative races in the 2017 election, in which $4.6 million was spent, Brown defeated Bell by a 54%-46% margin, taking a Senate seat that had been held by Democrats since 2008 and giving the Republicans their only Senate seat that changed parties, in an election that had many major victories for the Democratic Party across the state. In the Senate, Brown has served as Deputy Conference Leader since January 9, 2018.

Committees

*Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Payment *Higher Education *State Government, Wagering, Tourism, and Historic Preservation

Electoral history

New Jersey Senate

Assembly

Brown was elected to the Assembly in 2011 Brown was re-elected in 2013, then again in 2015.

References

External links

Assemblyman Chris A. Brown's legislative web page

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

*''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms''
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Chris A. 1964 births United States Army personnel of the Gulf War Living people Republican Party New Jersey state senators Lawyers from Atlantic County, New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Politicians from Atlantic City, New Jersey People from Ventnor City, New Jersey Rutgers University alumni United States Army soldiers Widener University alumni 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century members of the New Jersey Legislature