Ewart Brown Prime minister

Ewart Frederick Brown, Jr. (born 1946) was the ninth Premier of Bermuda, former leader of the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) and is a philanthropist. Dr. Brown served as Premier of Bermuda from 2006 to 2010. He was the Member of Parliament for Warwick South Central from 1993 to 2010.Born in Bermuda, Brown is a graduate of Howard University and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). While at Howard University he served as Student Body President, rising to international prominence during the 1968 Washington DC riots. In 1966 he represented Bermuda at the Commonwealth Games in Jamaica. In 1969, Dr. Brown led a coalition of Howard University campus political organizations in a successful five-day takeover of the school's administration building. It was the first all-black seizure of a college administration building in the United States.In his youth, Brown served as journalist with the Washington Post,the Bermuda Sun and as a radio announcer with Bermuda’s ZFB Radio.Inspired by his uncle, G.B. McPhee, a practicing physician, Brown decided to continue his education and become a doctor. He earned an M.D. from Howard University’s College of Medicine, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a Master of Public Health from the University of California. His key areas of study included family medicine, population control and international health. Dr. Brown remained in Los Angeles, opening a medical practice, Vermont Century Medical Clinic, in 1974. In 1974 he became the first qualified doctor in 50 years to be turned down for a Bermuda Medical license to practice after failing the registration exam. Brown alleged that the powers that be deliberately gave him a failing grade for political reasons. He eventually received his license to practice in 1988, and set up Bermuda Healthcare Services in 1990, returning to the Island permanently in 1993.He received the Physicians Recognition Award from the American Medical Association in 1977, the Grassroots Health Award from the Sons of Watts California in 1979, the Community Leadership Award from the Dubois Academic Institute in 1982, and the NAACP's Pacesetter Award in 1984. Dr. Brown became a director for the Marcus Garvey School, a K-8 school in Los Angeles, which named him Humanitarian of the Year in 1991.Dr. Brown has served as a Trustee of both Howard University and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, and Assistant Professor of Drew University’s Department of Family Practice. Dr. Brown is a former member of the Board of Directors of Marina Hills Hospital in Los Angeles, California; a former member of the California State Commission on Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health; and a founding Commissioner of the Board of Prevention Commissioners for South Central Los Angeles Regional Centre for Development Disabilities.He was a Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Western Park Hospital in Los Angeles, California and served as Director of Quality Assurance for the Los Angeles Doctor’s Hospital; Chairman of the Minority Group Affairs of the Student American Medical Association and as a Coordinator of the Summer Health Task Force of the National Urban Coalition in Washington D.C.; as Chairman of the Utilization Review Committee, West Adams Hospital, Los Angeles, California; and as Secretary of the Charles R Drew Medical Society in Los Angeles.Dr. Brown memberships have included the National Medical Association; American College of Utilization Review Physicians; Golden State Medical Association; American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians; American Public Health Association; Charles R. Drew Medical Society. Brown also served as a physician consultant for former Democratic US Presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson.Dr. Brown has been honored for grassroots service to medicine and for his humanitarian and philanthropic efforts. He has been recognized twice by Howard University’s College of Medicine for distinguished service to the college. Brown received the Physicians Recognition Award in 1977 from the American Medical Association; the Grassroots Health Award from the Sons of Watts California in 1979; the Dubois Academic Institute’s Community Leadership Award in 1982; the Pacesetter Award from the NAACP in 1984; Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Marcus Garvey School in Los Angeles in 1991; and in 1993, the Scroll Award from the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.In 1992 at the urging of PLP Leader L. Frederick Wade, Brown returned to Bermuda to run as a candidate for the Opposition Progressive Labour Party. In the 1993 General Election, Brown successfully unseated former Premier Sir Jack Sharpe by 14 votes in the constituency of Warwick West. In Opposition, Brown first served as Shadow Minister for Youth and Sports and in 1995 became Shadow Minister for Human Affairs. After thirty years in Opposition, The Progressive Labour Party defeated the ruling United Bermuda Party in the 1998 General Election and Brown was appointed Minister of Transport by Premier Jennifer Smith.During his first term as Transport Minister, Brown modernized Bermuda’s Ferry Service through the introduction of Fast Ferries. He also attempted to improve taxi service in Bermuda through the introduction of a computerized dispatching system that incorporated GPS technology. This was met with protests and threats of strikes by taxi owners and operators but eventually implemented.On July 23, 2003 the PLP won the General Election and immediately following the victory Brown and ten PLP MPs refused to support PLP Leader Jennifer Smith as Premier. She resigned on July 28, 2003 and following a special leadership conference of the PLP, William Alexander Scott was elected as leader of the Party and Premier. Dr. Brown was elected as Deputy Leader of Party and Deputy Premier of Bermuda.In July 2004 following the resignation of Tourism Minister Renee Webb, the Tourism portfolio was added to Brown’s ministerial responsibilities by Premier Scott. Over the next two years Brown focused on reducing air fares, increasing air lift into Bermuda and reinvigorating the marketing of the island.On October 12, 2006 Brown resigned as Minister of Tourism and Transport and announced that he would be challenging Premier Alex Scott at the PLP’s Delegate’s Conference on October 30, 2006 and that if he failed to unseat Scott that he would retire from politics.Dr. the Hon. Ewart F. Brown was elected leader of the ruling Progressive Labour Party on 30 October 2006, defeating incumbent leader and Premier William Alexander Scott, at a PLP delegates conference. Brown won the vote 107 – 76. He was the seventh leader of the Progressive Labour Party and the third leader of that party since winning the 1998 general election. Under his leadership, Dr. Brown pledged to take Bermuda to the next level and to “…lead Bermuda to greater health, happiness and prosperity for all of its people.” Over the next two years Premier Brown would launch the Big Conversation on Race, The Mirrors Programme to improve the self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth of the island’s youth, closed the island’s indigent clinic and the initiated a programme that would allow all patients, regardless of income to choose their own physicians. Brown also engaged the services of Professor Ronald Mincy to conduct a study into Bermuda’s young Black males and brought the PGA Grand Slam to Bermuda. In 2007 air arrivals rose to the highest level in 20 years. On November 2, 2007 following the reading of the Throne Speech by Governor John Vereker, Premier Brown set December 18, 2007 as the date for Bermuda’s General Election. During the election campaign, the PLP government held a joint press conference with the Bermuda Police Service on December 12, 2007 where it was revealed that a bullet had been mailed to the Premier and was being viewed as a serious and credible threat. A police investigation was unable to determine the originator of the threat.In the 2007 General Election the PLP defeated the United Bermuda Party for the third election in a row winning 22 seats to the UBP’s 14. Dr. Brown, fulfilling his leadership campaign promise that he would only serve one term as Party Leader and Premier of Bermuda stepped down in October 2010. He was succeeded as leader of the PLP on October 28, 2010 by Paula Cox and in a by-election held on December 14, 2010 was succeeded as MP for Warwick South Central by PLP MP Marc Bean. Since leaving office Dr. Brown has returned to his medical practice as founder and Executive Chairman of Bermuda HealthCare Services and Brown-Darrell Clinic. In that capacity he has spearheaded the introduction of the state of the art Siemens Magnetom Espree 1.5T scanner and launched a series of philanthropic efforts including Medical Scholarships, sponsorship of local athletes and sporting clubs, as well as an annual Christmas Turkey Give-Away for patients.Brown is married to Wanda Henton Brown and has four sons. The sons are: Kevin, Maurice, Ewart III, and Donovan.