Wesley Brown

A. Brown
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Wesley Brown (left) with CNO Admiral Mullen at the Academy, March 2006Wesley A. Brown (born April 3, 1927 in Baltimore, MD) was the first African American Graduate of the U.S Naval Academy. He served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War and served in the U.S Navy from May 2, 1944–June 30, 1969

Locations of Service: Republic of the Philippines, Korea, Vietnam and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Medals: American Theater Ribbon and World War II Victory Medal

He graduated from Dunbar High School, where he was Cadet Corps Battalion Commander during his senior year.

A retired naval officer, Lt. Cmdr. Brown became the first African American to graduate from the US Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis. He was nominated for admission and later appointed to USNA, by New York Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.. Brown entered the academy on June 30, 1945 and graduated on June 3, 1949. The recently published Breaking the Color Barrier: The US Naval Academy’s First Black Midshipmen and the Struggle for Racial Equality documents the experiences of the first five African Americans admitted to the academy and the challenges Brown and the others faced.

Brown retired in June 1969 after serving 20 years in the Navy's Civil Engineer Corps. There Brown was responsible for building military service member homes in Hawaii, roads in Liberia, wharves in the Philippines, a nuclear power plant in Antarctica, and a desalination plant in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. When he retired, Brown consulted on construction projects and joined the faculty at Howard University as a physical facilities analyst. He served as chairman of DC's Congressional Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Service Academy Selection Board.


Captain Bruce Grooms (left) and Wesley Brown (right) at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Wesley Brown Field House, March 25, 2006The U.S. Naval Academy is constructing the new Wesley Brown Field House, named in honor of Wesley Brown. Ground was broken for the new field house in a ceremony at the Academy on March 25, 2006. Brown wielded a shovel in the groundbreaking.[1] Hensel Phelps Construction Company is constructing the field house, which is expected to be completed in March 2008. The U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) is administering the contract for construction.[2]

Brown and his wife Crystal enjoy visits from their four children and seven grandchildren. Their daughter Carol Jackson chairs the California Division of the American Cancer Society[3] as well as heading the External Affairs and Diversity Management departments at Macy's West.[4] Brown reads and attends social and sporting events. Brown is a volunteer motivational speaker and particularly enjoys talking with DC high school students and midshipmen of the USNA Black Studies Club during Black History Month.

Lt. Cmdr. Brown is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.[citation needed]


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