Favorable or Unfavorable #94: Clarence Brown

[vcczar]

Clarence Brown of OH was one of the most conservative GOP members, opposing Democratic social policy from FDR to LBJ. However, he was extremely liberal in one area: Civil Rights. Two points are worth elaborating on. In 1947, after a Southern Democrat and a Black Democrat (forgot their names) got in a heated debate, which saw the Southern Democrat using all sorts of racial slurs directed at the black politician, Brown forced GOP Speaker Joseph Martin to create a rule change. Equally as impressive is that Clarence Brown, who was in the early stages of dying, left the hospital to help pass the Voting Rights Act before returning to the hospital, where he died. 

His actions:

Brown, Clarence	1938	Pledges to get antilynching laws passed
Brown, Clarence	1939	A major opponent of FDR's New Deal
Brown, Clarence	1947	Forced rule change to prohibit racially offensive language on House floor
Brown, Clarence	1947	Cosponsors bill to create Hoover Commission
Brown, Clarence	1949	A leading opponent of Truman's Fair Deal
Brown, Clarence	1957	backs civil rights bill
Brown, Clarence	1965	helps w/ passing Voting Rights Act, dying soon after

[vcczar]

I typically wouldn't vote favorable on someone this conservative, but his courage and selflessness is Civil Rights is beyond admirable. Anyone that does something that virtuous, that regularly on such a critical problem in America can oppose me elsewhere all they want.