John Y. Brown, Jr.
John Young Brown Jr. (born
December 28,
1933) is a U.S.
Democratic Party politician and businessman. He served as
Governor of Kentucky from
1979 to
1983, defeating former
Republican governor
Louie B. Nunn in the 1979
general election. He was born in
Lexington, Kentucky and graduated from the
University of Kentucky, where he was a member of
Phi Delta Theta, earning both an undergraduate degree and a law degree. From
1959 to
1965, he served in the
United States Army Reserve. Shortly after completing his term as governor, he made an abortive bid for the
United States Senate seat held by
Walter Huddleston. In
1987, he ran unsuccessfully for a second term as governor, losing to
Wallace G. Wilkinson in the Democratic
primary.
In
1964, Brown bought from its founder,
Colonel Harland Sanders, and built the company into one of the world's largest fast food chains, before selling it in
1971. From
1973 to
1975, he was the owner of the
Kentucky Colonels ABA team. In
1976, he purchased the Buffalo Braves, the
NBA team that would later become the
Los Angeles Clippers. From
1978 to
1979, he owned the
Boston Celtics NBA team. Following his term as Governor, he resumed his career in the restaurant industry. In
1991, he formed a partnership with recording artist
Kenny Rogers, co-founding and serving as CEO of
Kenny Rogers Roasters, an international chain of wood-roasted chicken restaurants. Since
1990, he has founded several other restaurants including Miami Subs, Chicken By George, and Roadhouse Grill. He currently lives in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Brown has been married and divorced three times. From
1960 to
1977, he was married to the former Eleanor Bennett Durall, and has two children from that marriage, including
John Y. Brown III, who served as Kentucky Secretary of State from
1996 to
2004. He was married to former
Miss America and former
CBS sportscaster Phyllis George from
1979 to
1998, and has two children from that marriage. From 1998 to
2003, he was married to Jill Louise Roach, a former Mrs. Kentucky, 27 years his junior. His father,
John Y. Brown, Sr. was a member of the U.S. Congress from Kentucky and a member of the Kentucky state legislature for nearly three decades, including a term as Speaker of the House.
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Former Ky. governor files for third divorce (Cincinnati Enquirer article)
