https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/2022/11/22/john-y-brown-jr-former-kentucky-governor-dies/4135653001/

John Y. Brown Jr., dashing KFC millionaire who became Kentucky governor, dies

Andrew Wolfson
Louisville Courier Journal

Published 2:14 p.m. ET Nov 22, 2022

John Y. Brown Jr., the dashing multimillionaire who built Kentucky Fried Chicken into an international success, then won Kentucky’s governorship in a whirlwind campaign with his celebrity wife, former Miss America Phyllis George, by his side, has died. He was 88.

Brown's death was reported by multiple media outlets Tuesday.

In a statement, Brown's children wrote: "We are heartbroken by his passing, but find comfort in what he wrote in one of his final days, ‘I have never been so happy.’”

Brown’s 1979 campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor destroyed the notion that candidates had to invest years of painstaking preparation before seeking the office. He demonstrated that a quick thrust, built on modern campaign techniques, could overwhelm organizational politics.

His upstart campaign relied on a blend of personality and political technique. Using his own fortune and an array of consultants, he challenged a large field of Democrats, plunging into the race just 10 weeks before the election.

Conventional wisdom said he had started far too late. But with his wife, Brown barnstormed by helicopter, promising to run state government like a business and market Kentucky’s potential for industrial development.

Unlike conventional candidates, he ignored the Democratic power structure and its county chieftains, defeating Louisville Mayor Harvey Sloane by about 25,000 votes. Three other major candidates — Terry McBrayer of Lexington, U.S. Rep. Carroll Hubbard of Mayfield and Lt. Gov. Thelma Stovall of Louisville — were badly beaten.

Brown’s electrifying victory, coming in the wake of his marriage to George, catapulted the couple into the national limelight. “John Y. and Phyllis — Kentucky-Fried Style” read the headline on one none-too-flattering piece in New York Magazine.

Brown was Kentucky's first governor elected largely through television ads, making money more important in political campaigns, political reporter Al Cross, a professor at University of Kentucky, said in 2020.

By forsaking the traditional party machinery, Cross said, Brown gave us a more efficient professional administration. He claimed he had the best cabinet ever, and Cross said he may have been right.

Brown also helped establish the independence of the legislature by keep his hands off the election of legislative leaders in 1979, Cross said.

Brown’s term coincided with a severe national recession, crimping his efforts to lure industry and forcing him to shrink the size of state government.

Some observers said his experience keeping an eye on the bottom line made him well qualified to preside over state government in lean times.

“When I ran, I ran with a commitment to change,” Brown said in a midterm interview. “And I’ve changed things, I think, in basic areas. I’ve changed the political climate. I’ve cut waste. I am developing the economy. I said I would, and I have.”

August 29, 1998 -- Former Gov. John Y. Brown Jr. broke what some may say is a wedding tradition by mingling with guests before the ceremony, including famed attorney F. Lee Bailey, right, and Bailey's wife, Patricia.
During the first years of his term, Brown and his aides kept one eye on the national stage. They dropped hints that Brown might be a candidate for president in 1984, a conservative alternative to the Democratic Party’s usual liberal tilt.

Brown’s name began to show up in national polls ranking the likely candidates. The Wall Street Journal ran a 1981 profile of the governor under a headline that read: “From Fried Chicken to the Governorship; Is White House Next?”

But Brown’s national prospects began to erode in 1982, when his name surfaced in connection with a federal investigation in Miami. Officials of a small Miami bank acknowledged that authorities had subpoenaed records of large cash withdrawals Brown made from the bank. The bank had not reported the withdrawals, as required by federal law.

Brown said he had transferred the money to Miami because he wanted to avoid the attention the transactions would have gotten had he withdrawn the money from a Kentucky bank. He insisted he had done nothing wrong.

“I worked hard for my money,” he said. “I made it legally, and I paid taxes on it. If I want to take it out of a bank in wheelbarrows, that’s my business. It’s my money, and I can do with it what I want.”

In article <3cd5c6a6-52c7-498a-80a9-4b81db20edd4n@googlegroups.com>,
That Derek <thatderek@yahoo.com> wrote:

>
> https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/2022/11/22/john-y-brown-jr-former-
> kentucky-governor-dies/4135653001/
>
>
> John Y. Brown Jr., dashing KFC millionaire who became Kentucky governor, dies
>
> Andrew Wolfson
> Louisville Courier Journal
>
> Published 2:14 p.m. ET Nov 22, 2022
>
> John Y. Brown Jr., the dashing multimillionaire who built Kentucky Fried
> Chicken into an international success, then won Kentucky’s governorship in a
> whirlwind campaign with his celebrity wife, former Miss America Phyllis
> George, by his side, has died. He was 88.

The obit doesn't mention that Phyllis George predeceased him. She died
on May 14 2020.

On Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 3:53:39 PM UTC-5, A Friend wrote:

> The obit doesn't mention that Phyllis George predeceased him. She died
> on May 14 2020.

The OP only posted the first half of the obit and left out some early paragraphs. The full article mentions her death, that they divorced in 1998, and that she was the 2nd of his 3 wives.
It's an excellent obit, full of the details that only a local paper would include. The story of his fade from political prominence (he was considered a potential presidential candidate in 1980, but was completely forgotten four years later) is particularly interesting.
Here's the full article.

John Y. Brown Jr., dashing KFC millionaire who became Kentucky governor, dies
Andrew Wolfson
Louisville Courier Journal

John Y. Brown Jr., the dashing multimillionaire who built Kentucky Fried Chicken into an international success, then won Kentucky’s governorship in a whirlwind campaign with his celebrity wife, former Miss America Phyllis George, by his side, has died. He was 88.

In a statement, Brown's children wrote: "We are heartbroken by his passing, but find comfort in what he wrote in one of his final days: ‘I have never been so happy.’”

The children also said: "He was a true Kentucky original who beamed with pride for his home state and its people. He had many prominent accomplishments, but most of all he loved his family with all of his heart and we in turn loved him with all of our hearts."

Gov. Andy Beshear said Brown was "a remarkable leader who was committed to serving the people of Kentucky. He made our commonwealth a better place. Britainy and I are praying for his family and loved ones.”

Beshear directed that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff in Brown’s honor until sunset on the day of interment. Brown will lie in state in the rotunda of the Kentucky State Capitol.

A trailblazer in the limelight with Phyllis George
Brown’s 1979 campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor destroyed the notion that candidates had to invest years of painstaking preparation before seeking the office. He demonstrated that a quick thrust, built on modern campaign techniques, could overwhelm organizational politics.

His upstart campaign relied on a blend of personality and political technique. Using his own fortune and an array of consultants, he challenged a large field of Democrats, plunging into the race just 10 weeks before the election.

Conventional wisdom said he had started far too late. But with his wife, Brown barnstormed by helicopter, promising to run state government like a business and market Kentucky’s potential for industrial development.

Unlike conventional candidates, he ignored the Democratic power structure and its county chieftains, defeating Louisville Mayor Harvey Sloane by about 25,000 votes. Three other major candidates — Terry McBrayer of Lexington, U.S. Rep. Carroll Hubbard of Mayfield and Lt. Gov. Thelma Stovall of Louisville — were badly beaten.

Brown’s electrifying victory, coming in the wake of his marriage to George, catapulted the couple into the national limelight. “John Y. and Phyllis — Kentucky-Fried Style” read the headline on one none-too-flattering piece in New York Magazine.

Brown was Kentucky's first governor elected largely through television ads, making money more important in political campaigns, political reporter Al Cross, a professor at University of Kentucky, said in 2020.

By forsaking the traditional party machinery, Cross said, Brown gave us a more efficient professional administration. He claimed he had the best cabinet ever, and Cross said he may have been right.

Brown also helped establish the independence of the legislature by keep his hands off the election of legislative leaders in 1979, Cross said.

Brown’s term coincided with a severe national recession, crimping his efforts to lure industry and forcing him to shrink the size of state government.

Some observers said his experience keeping an eye on the bottom line made him well qualified to preside over state government in lean times.

“When I ran, I ran with a commitment to change,” Brown said in a midterm interview. “And I’ve changed things, I think, in basic areas. I’ve changed the political climate. I’ve cut waste. I am developing the economy. I said I would, and I have.”

In a statement, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said that after turning KFC, one of Kentucky's signature businesses, into a global household name, Brown applied his private sector prowess to government, "promising to run Kentucky with the same discipline and creativity that had made his various enterprises thrive."

Outside of his family, one of his sons, John Y. Brown III, said his father was most proud of his time in office.

“I think the most rewarding accomplishment was being governor,” he said. “He saw that as public service and at some level it was a vindication of his father.”

John Y. Brown Sr., the father of John Y. Brown Jr., served on term in the U..S. House but lost races for governor and the U.S. Senate.

During the first years of his term as governor, the younger Brown and his aides kept one eye on the national stage. They dropped hints that Brown might be a candidate for president in 1984, a conservative alternative to the Democratic Party’s usual liberal tilt.

Brown’s name began to show up in national polls ranking the likely candidates. The Wall Street Journal ran a 1981 profile of the governor under a headline that read: “From Fried Chicken to the Governorship; Is White House Next?”

But Brown’s national prospects began to erode in 1982, when his name surfaced in connection with a federal investigation in Miami. Officials of a small Miami bank acknowledged that authorities had subpoenaed records of large cash withdrawals Brown made from the bank. The bank had not reported the withdrawals, as required by federal law.

Brown said he had transferred the money to Miami because he wanted to avoid the attention the transactions would have gotten had he withdrawn the money from a Kentucky bank. He insisted he had done nothing wrong.

“I worked hard for my money,” he said. “I made it legally, and I paid taxes on it. If I want to take it out of a bank in wheelbarrows, that’s my business. It’s my money, and I can do with it what I want.”

While investigators took no action against Brown, the probe drew attention to his occasional plunges into high-stakes gambling. He acknowledged he occasionally suffered heavy losses in Las Vegas. A year later, his name surfaced in reports about another federal investigation of drugs and gambling in central Kentucky that eventually touched some of his friends, but not him.

The impact of the two investigations dimmed his luster, all but precluding that he would make a national race.

In June 1983, he underwent emergency heart-bypass surgery at the University of Kentucky’s Albert B. Chandler Medical Center and nearly died of complications. He spent much of the rest of his term recuperating.

When the Democratic Party gathered in San Francisco in July 1984 to nominate Walter F. Mondale for president, Brown was out of office and largely a forgotten player on the national scene.

Under state law at the time, he was ineligible to immediately seek a second term.

Ironically, when he ran for a second term in 1987, hoping to succeed Kentucky’s first woman governor, Martha Layne Collins, he fell victim to a campaign that had overtones of his 1979 race.

Lexington businessman Wallace Wilkinson, propelled by his promise to start a state lottery, overtook Brown in the final days to win. Like Brown, Wilkinson depended heavily on television to get his message out and spent heavily of his own fortune. And like his opponents in 1979, Brown appeared to be without an effective answer to Wilkinson’s closing drive.

From Kentucky Fried Chicken to the Boston Celtics
A native of Lexington, John Young Brown Jr. was born Dec. 28, 1933, to John Y. Brown Sr., a prominent trial lawyer and politician and Dorothy Inman Brown, who is also deceased.

The elder Brown’s inability to win major office helped shape his son’s career. Brown Sr. ran numerous races for the Senate and for governor — always unsuccessfully, although as a young man he served as speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives and as a congressman.

In his campaigns, John Y. Brown Jr. painted his father as the victim of machine politics who never enjoyed the success or recognition he was due.

In 1961, father and son opened a law partnership with offices in Louisville and Lexington. But the younger Brown was to spend most of his time wheeling and dealing in the business world.

In 1964, Brown Jr. formed a corporation that purchased Kentucky Fried Chicken from Col. Harlan Sanders for $2 million. Brown was elected president of the corporation a year later and was chairman when it was acquired by Heublein.

He made $284 million on the deal, equal to about $1.8 billion in 2020 dollars.

In 1969 a group headed by Brown that included Humana co-founder Wendell Cherry purchased controlling interest in the American Basketball Association’s Louisville-based Colonels.

Initially hailed as a hero for saving the franchise from being moved to Cincinnati and bringing a championship to Louisville in 1975, Brown later became the goat, first for selling the rights to star center Dan Issel to the Baltimore Claws, to save money, then for taking $3 million to fold the team during the ABA-NBA merger the next year, rather than paying $3 million for it to join the older, established league.

In article <5897aaaa-8efe-490d-bef7-b5c362f2fcb7n@googlegroups.com>,
Diner <bwaystars@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 3:53:39 PM UTC-5, A Friend wrote:
>
> > The obit doesn't mention that Phyllis George predeceased him. She died
> > on May 14 2020.
>
> The OP only posted the first half of the obit and left out some early
> paragraphs. The full article mentions her death, that they divorced in 1998,
> and that she was the 2nd of his 3 wives.
> It's an excellent obit, full of the details that only a local paper would
> include. The story of his fade from political prominence (he was considered a
> potential presidential candidate in 1980, but was completely forgotten four
> years later) is particularly interesting.
> Here's the full article.

Thanks for posting the entire thing (which I won't copy here, as I'm
usually wary of wretched excess).

I knew Phyllis a little bit, back when. She was a character.