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Corporal Oliver Eugene Brown Sr.

A headshot of an older Black man is dressed in a blue, pin-striped suit jacket, white button-up shirt, and a maroon striped tie.
  • Unit: Headquarters and Service Company, 701st Armored Infantry Battalion
  • Date of Birth: February 11, 1929
  • Entered the Military: March 7, 1950
  • Date of Death: July 22, 2022
  • Hometown: Cleveland, Texas
  • Place of Death: Houston, Texas
  • Award(s): Korean Service Medal with 4 Bronze Service Stars and a United Nations Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Section X1, Site 674. Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Texas
Contributed by Emmalyn Garcia
Mentored by Mrs. Jan Martinez
Odyssey Academy-Webster (Webster, Texas)
2024/2025

Early Life

Oliver Eugene Brown Sr. was born in Kountze, Texas, to Albert and Fannie Brown on February 11, 1929. They soon moved to Cleveland, Texas, where he spent his formative years with his older siblings, sister Fannie, and brother Albert. With only a second-grade education, his father operated his own wood yard. His mother had a sixth-grade education and took in laundry. They owned their own home. Brown was baptized at the Church of God in Christ, where his father served as pastor.

Brown attended Cleveland Colored High School for two years before working as an auto mechanic helper for Martin Chevrolet. 

A snippet from the Census showing Brown and his family members.
The 1940 Census shows Brown and his family in Cleveland, Texas. National Archives and Records Administration.
A colored, drawn portrait featuring an elderly Black man on the left in a dark suit and tie. He has a cross affixed to his label. The elderly Black woman on the right is wearing a light blue dress with a large pink flower buttoned on it.
Family portrait of Oliver Eugene Brown Sr.’s parents—Albert and Fannie Brown. Cleveland Historical Society.

Homefront

Cleveland, Texas, is a small town in Liberty County. Its economy thrived on soybean and rice farming. It also had a veneer mill, a cannery, a commercial printing plant, and an ice plant. Several businesses were started in Cleveland in the first half of the 20th century, and many still stand today. One example is Martin Chevrolet, where Brown worked during high school.

The start of the Korean War in 1950 also stimulated a demand for petroleum. By 1951, Texas crude exceeded the billion-barrel-a-year mark. In addition to an oil boom, there was a dramatic population increase. From 1940 to 1950, Cleveland’s population grew from around 1,200 to about 3,500, a 191% increase!

Like most of the South, Liberty County was segregated. The Cleveland Colored High School (later named the Frederick A. Douglass School) was the only school available to Black students at the time. It graduated its last class in 1967 before integrating into Cleveland High School. 

A black and white image of a school building.
The Cleveland Colored High School, 1955. Cleveland Independent School District Administration Building.
A black and white aerial image of a car dealership building. On the right is a glassed showroom, and on the left is a large attached garage. Outside, there are several new vehicles parked.
Martin Chevrolet in 1957. This business opened in 1941 and is still in business today. CHRON.

Military Experience

Brown joined the U.S. Army on March 7, 1950, just months before the outbreak of the Korean War. Trained as a Stock Control Specialist, he managed the Army’s logistical backbone—overseeing the receipt, storage, and issuance of supplies and equipment necessary to sustain combat operations. He deployed to Korea and served for nearly eight months with the Headquarters and Service Company, 701st Armored Infantry Battalion. This company functioned as the operational core of the battalion, coordinating command and control functions, communications, vehicle maintenance, and the flow of supplies and ammunition. Though primarily a support unit, it operated close enough to the front lines that personnel could be called upon for combat when needed.

After three years of honorable service, Brown was discharged on March 7, 1953, with the rank of corporal, just as the Korean War neared its end.

A typed piece of paper containing information about Brown’s military service.
Brown’s official separation document from the U.S. Army, 1953. Portions have been redacted for privacy. National Archives and Records Administration.
A typed registration card with information about Oliver Eugene Brown.
Draft Registration Card for Oliver Eugene Brown Sr., 1947. National Archives and Records Administration.

Veterans Experience

After leaving the military, Brown and his first wife had three children, Maretha, Oliver, and Garry. After the couple divorced, Brown reared another son, Kelvin. 

Brown joined the Houston Police Force in 1957. While the U.S. Army had made progress toward racial integration, the police force still had a long way to go. Brown recalled being told to use the back door of the cafeteria during his police academy training. The Black cadets also had a separate spot in the back of the cadet classroom where they were expected to sit together. Brown wasn’t aware of this policy and so sat in front of the room on his first day. He didn’t take the hint from his supervisor to move, and the incident escalated to Brown’s chair being kicked. It almost cost him his place in the program. 

Brown and the other Black officers were also given patrol assignments only in Black areas of the city. If a White person came to one of those neighborhoods and committed a crime, Brown would have to hold the suspect, call a supervisor, wait for them to arrive, and then have them call a White officer to conduct the arrest. 

A lot of time was spent trying to rebuild relationships with the Black public that White officers had destroyed over the years of mistreatment. Brown said that during his service, he saw a dramatic change in people’s attitudes towards Black officers, including from his White colleagues. 

By 1960, Brown was the first Black Sergeant in Forgery. In 1969, Brown married his second wife, Graciela Alvarex. The couple had two daughters, Angelia and Berlinda. In 1973, Brown became one of Houston’s first Black detectives. In 1989, he received the Officer of the Year award from the Afro-American Police Officers Selection Committee for rescuing two people from fires. He also later received a Meritorious Service Award from Chief Lee Brown. 

In 1992, he was charged with arson for setting a fire in the parsonage of the city’s oldest Black Baptist church. He was relieved of duty pending an investigation after witnesses saw him crawl out of a window just before the fire was noticed. Brown was a minister at the church at the time, and some parishioners believed that the fire started after a dispute between Brown and the pastor. No one was home at the time of the fire. Further details on the case’s outcome are unknown, but Brown retired from the police force that same year. 

Brown served as a chaplain for Precinct 7 under Constable May Walker during his retirement. While the circumstances of the arson case might have tarnished his reputation, Brown dedicated his retirement years to serving his community and helping others. He often visited senior citizens in their homes and nursing care facilities and distributed food and clothing to those in need. 

A snippet from the book featuring a headshot image of Brown in his police uniform.
Brown was featured in the book, The History of Black Police Officers in the Houston Police Department, 1988. Internet Archive.

Commemoration

Oliver Eugene Brown Sr. passed away on July 22, 2022. He was buried at the National Cemetery in Houston, Texas, after a celebration of his life attended by his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

An arch-topped marble marker engraved with praying hands and a bible on top and then the words “Oliver E Brown SR CPL US Army Korea Feb 11 1929 JUL 22 2022 At Peace With God.”
Oliver Eugene Brown Sr.’s grave at the National Cemetery in Houston, Texas.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

“E. L. Heffley Collection.” Personal narrative Veterans History Project, Library of Congress

(AFC/2001/001/107489). https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.107489/#item-service_history.

“Extra-Value Ful-o-Pep Egg Breeder Mash.” The Houston Post [Houston, Texas], September 6, 1953. Cleveland Historical Society Museum.

Oliver Brown, DD-214, Department of the Marine Corps. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Oliver Eugene Brown. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Oliver Eugene Brown. Texas, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1903-1932. https://ancestryclassroom.com.  

Oliver Eugene Brown. Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Rev. and Mrs. AB Brown. Photograph. Cleveland Historical Society Museum.

“Telephone Directory.” May, 1951. Cleveland Historical Society Museum.

Texas. Liberty County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://www.ancestryclassroom.com/. 

Tucker, James L. “James L. Tucker Interview.” Interview by Jon Schwartz, This is Our Home It is Not For Sale. July 7, 1986. https://av.lib.uh.edu/media_objects/qf85nb31g.

U.S. Department of Commerce. 1950 Census of Population: Preliminary Counts. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of the Census, 1950. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/pc-02/pc-2-43.pdf. 

Secondary Sources

 “3-71 Cavalry Inactivates as Part of Army Restructuring Efforts.” U.S. Army. Last modified August 1, 2024. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.army.mil/article/278561/3_71_cavalry_inactivates_as_part_of_army_restructuring_efforts. 

“About Us.” Martin Chevrolet. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.martinchevroletgmc.com/about-us/. 

Cloe, John Haile. “The Cold War Years 1946-1991.” Alaska Historical Society. Last modified July 5, 2014. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/discover-alaska/glimpses-of-the-past/the-cold-war-years-1946-1991. 

Dulaney, W. Marvin. “The Texas Negro Peace Officers Association: The Origins of Black Police Unionism.” Houston History Magazine, February 2014. https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/12.2-The-Texas-Negro-Peace-Officers-Association-The-Origins-of-Black-Police-Unionism-W-Marvin-Delaney.pdf.  

Kleiner, Diana J. “History and Development of Liberty, Texas.” Texas State Historical Association. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/liberty-tx-liberty-county. 

“Liberty County.” Stephen F. Austin State University. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.sfasu.edu/heritagecenter/490.asp#:~:text=Reconstruction%20through%20the%201920s%20marked,and%20Big%20Thicket%20National%20Preserve. 

McAdams, Jacob. “Martin Autopark set to celebrate diamond anniversary.” CHRON. January 25, 2016. https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/cleveland/news/article/Martin-Autopark-set-to-celebrate-diamond-9683384.php. 

“The Korean War Era.” U.S. Army Center of Military History. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/korea/intro/index.html. 

“Oliver Eugene Brown.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/OLIVEREUGENEBROWN/a107ae.

“Oliver Eugene Brown Sr.” Dignity Memorial. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/houston-tx/oliver-brown-10859431.

“Oliver Eugene Brown, Sr.” Find a Grave. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/242085171/oliver-eugene-brown. 

“The Power Years.” Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.sfasu.edu/heritagecenter/490.asp.

Walker, May. The History of Black Police Officers in the Houston Police Department. Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company, 1988.

Watson, Dwight D.  Race and the Houston Police Department, 1930–1990: A Change Did Come. Texas A&M University Press, 2005.


This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.