In Memoriam: George D. Brown

Boston College Law School will host a Celebration of Life event on April 24 for retired faculty member and administrator George D. Brown, an influential scholar, teacher, and admired legal authority, who died on March 12 at the age of 85.

Dr. Brown, who joined BC Law in 1971, was an expert in issues of government ethics and professional responsibility and a specialist in the field of federal-state relations. He was particularly known for his work on the jurisdiction of federal courts and on the federal grant-in-aid system. His proposal for the use of state law in mail fraud prosecutions was adopted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a major anti-corruption decision.

In 2003, Dr. Brown was appointed as associate dean for academic affairs at the Law School. He worked with the dean and faculty in areas of curriculum review, program development, faculty appointment, and research, and oversaw the delivery of academic services to students.

Three years later, Dr. Brown became the inaugural holder of the Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Endowed Chair, established in honor of the former dean and congressman who was one of the most influential and beloved figures at BC Law.

“Fr. Drinan’s exemplary career spans so many fields—public service, scholarship, and academic leadership, for example—that it makes holding the chair named for him a special privilege and challenge,” said Dr. Brown at the time of the announcement.

Dr. Brown, who served as interim dean of BC Law from 2010-2011, retired in 2021 but continued researching and publishing in law reviews as the Drinan Professor of Law Emeritus.

Prior to joining the Law School, Dr. Brown served as legislative assistant to the governor and as assistant attorney general of Massachusetts. In 1994, Governor William Weld appointed him chairman of the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission. He also served as chairman of the Section on Federal Courts of the Association of American Law Schools.

In addition to his wife, Patricia (McCarthy), Dr. Brown is survived by his son, Nathaniel (husband of Caitlin); his daughters, Meridith Welch (wife of Mark Fine) and Heather Welch (wife of Jason Murphy); and grandchildren Nora and Rowan Fine; Colin, Elisabeth, and Neve Murphy; and Emmett and Cora Brown; sister-in-law, Mary Jane Lukas; brother-in-law, Robert; and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass for Dr. Brown was celebrated on March 22 in Trinity Chapel on Newton Campus.

Donations may be made in Dr. Brown’s name to Good Shepherd Community Care, 160 Wells Ave., Newton, MA 02459.

Read a tribute to Dr. Brown in BC Law Magazine.