Bernice Brown
1959–1967
Significant Facts
Born: November 19, 1908 in San Francisco, CA
Died: May 9, 2002
Married: Edmund "Pat" Brown on October 30, 1930 in Reno, Nevada
Maiden Name: Layne
Family
Father: Arthur D. Layne
Mother: Alice Cuneo
Husband: Edmund Brown
Children: Jerry, Kathleen, Cynthia and Barbara
Find out more about the time period and interests of Bernice Brown
Did You Know
- Mrs. Brown was very interested in poetry
Biography
Bernice Layne was an intellectually gifted woman. As a student in an accelerated pace school program, she graduated from high school at the age of fourteen. She then went on to graduate from the University of California at Berkeley with a teaching credential. It was while attending Lowell High School that she met Edmund "Pat" Brown. They eloped to Reno, Nevada on October 30, 1930, eventually having four children. Bernice was ambivalent toward politics. The Governor's Office confirmed this in a 1960 press release which stated, "Mrs. Brown frankly admits she never would have chosen a political career for her husband if the choice had been hers to make." Despite her ambivalence toward politics, Bernice supported her husband during his long political career and gracefully assumed the role of First Lady. As First Lady, she was a popular speaker, often offering intimate stories of family life in the Governor's Mansion. She was also a gracious hostess to visiting dignitaries and groups such as the San Francisco League of Women Voters. Bernice Brown died on May 9, 2002 at the age of ninety-three. She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in San Mateo, California.
Bibliography
Books and Articles
- Cook and LaDue, The First Ladies of California, Xlibris Corporation, 2007
- "Bernice Layne Brown, 93, Devoted Matriarch of a Political Dynasty," Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2002
- Fry and Shearer, Brown Family Portraits: Oral History Transcript, Regents of the University of California, 1982
