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John Young Brown, Jr. (born December 28, 1933) is a politician, entrepreneur, and businessman from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He served as the 55th governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, although he may be best known for building Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) into a multimillion-dollar restaurant chain. Currently single, he has been married three times, the second time to former Miss America Phyllis George. Among his children are news anchor Pamela Ashley Brown and former Secretary of State of Kentucky John Y. Brown, III. The son of a U.S. congressman, Brown's talent for business became evident in college, where he made a substantial amount of money selling Encyclopædia Britannica sets. After briefly practicing law with his father, he purchased Kentucky Fried Chicken from founder Harland Sanders in 1964. Brown turned the company into a world-wide success, and sold his interest in the company for a huge profit in 1971. He then invested in several other restaurant ventures, but none matched the success of KFC. During the 1970s, he also owned, at various times, three professional basketball teams – the American Basketball Association's Kentucky Colonels, and the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics and Buffalo Braves (currently the Los Angeles Clippers). Despite having previously shown little inclination toward politics, Brown surprised political observers by declaring his candidacy for governor in 1979. With the state and nation facing difficult economic times, Brown promised to run the state government like a business. A strong media campaign funded by his personal fortune allowed him to win the Democratic primary and go on to defeat former Republican governor Louie B. Nunn in the general election. Because he owed few favors to established political leaders, he appointed many successful businesspeople to state posts instead of making political appointments. Following through on his campaign promise to make more diverse appointments, he named a woman and an African-American to his cabinet. During his tenure, Brown exerted less influence over the legislature than previous governors and was frequently absent from the state, leaving lieutenant governor Martha Layne Collins as acting governor for more than one quarter of his term. He briefly considered a run for the U.S. Senate after his gubernatorial term, but withdrew from the race after only three weeks, citing health issues. He has continued to invest in business ventures, the most high profile of which was Kenny Rogers Roasters, a wood-roasted chicken restaurant he founded with country music star Kenny Rogers. ==Early life== Brown was born on December 28, 1933 in Lexington, Kentucky.〔"Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown Jr.". National Governors Association〕 He was the only son of the five children born to John Y. and Dorothy (Inman) Brown.〔Demaret, "Kissin', but Not Cousins, John Y. and Phyllis George Aim to Do Kentucky Up Brown"〕 His father 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. John Sr. was named for, but not related to, the nineteenth century governor of the same name.〔Harrison in ''A New History of Kentucky'', p. 373〕 A 1979 ''People'' magazine article recounts that the elder Brown's nine unsuccessful political races – for either governor or the U.S. Senate – took a toll on his family and left his mother resentful of all the money spent on campaigns.〔 Brown attended Lafayette High School in Lexington, where he was a seventeen-time letterman in various sports.〔〔Berman, p. B1〕 During one summer, his father expressed disappointment that he had decided to spend the summer selling vacuum cleaners instead of working on a road construction crew with the rest of his football teammates.〔 Motivated by his father's disapproval, Brown averaged $1,000 in monthly commissions from vacuum cleaner sales.〔 After high school, Brown matriculated to the University of Kentucky, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1957 and a law degree in 1960.〔〔Harrison in ''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'', p. 130〕 While in law school, he made as much as $25,000 a year selling Encyclopædia Britannica sets, and employed a sales crew made up of classmates to increase his profits.〔 Brown joined his father's law practice after earning his law degree.〔 From 1959 to 1965, he also served in the United States Army Reserve.〔〔 He served as legal counsel for Paul Hornung when Hornung was suspended for the 1963 National Football League season for gambling.〔Golden, "Brown Yearns for Old Kentucky Home"〕 After only a few years, Brown left his father's law firm and began a career in business.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「John Y. Brown, Jr.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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