U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown, killed in plane crash
Ronald H.Brown the U.S.secretary of commerce is killed along with 32 other Americans when their U.S.
Air Force plane crashes into a mountain near Dubrovnik Croatia.Brown was leading a delegation of business executives to the former Yugoslavia to explore business opportunities that might help rebuild the war-torn region.Brown born in Washington D.C.in 1941 grew up in New York Citys Harlem neighborhood where he worked as a welfare caseworker before joining the U.S.
Army.After holding positions in the National Urban League an advocacy group for the renewal of inner cities he became a member of the U.S.Supreme Court bar and served as chief counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In 1989 he was elected chairman of the Democratic Party National Committee becoming the first African American to hold the top position in a major political party in the United States.As chairman Brown played a pivotal role in securing the 1992 election of Bill Clinton the first Democratic president in 12 years.In 1993 Clinton appointed Brown to be the first African American secretary of commerce a position he held until his death in 1996.
